The ecotoxicology of marine tributyltin (TBT) hotspots: A review.

Tributyltin (TBT) was widely used as a highly efficient biocide in antifouling paints for ship and boat hulls. Eventually, TBT containing paints became globally banned when TBT was found to cause widespread contamination and non-target adverse effects in sensitive species, with induced pseudohermaphroditism in female neogastropods (imposex) being the best-known example. In this review, we address the history and the status of knowledge regarding TBT pollution and marine TBT hotspots, with a special emphasis on the Norwegian coastline.

Integrated biomarker assessment of the effects of tailing discharges from an iron ore mine using blue mussels (Mytilus spp.).

The blue mussel (Mytilus spp.) has been used to assess the potential biological effects of the discharge effluent from the Sydvaranger mine, which releases its tailings into Bøk fjord at Kirkenes in the north of Norway. Metal bioaccumulation and a suite of biomarkers were measured in mussels positioned for 6 weeks at varying distances from the discharge outlet.

Effects of CO2 on benthic biota: an in situ benthic chamber experiment in Storfjorden (Norway).

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) methods, either sub-seabed or in ocean depths, introduces risk of CO2 leakage and subsequent interaction with the ecosystem. It is therefore important to obtain information on possible effects of CO2. In situ CO2 exposure experiments were carried out twice for 10 days during 2005 using a Benthic Chamber system at 400 m depth in Storfjorden, Norway.

Accumulation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)--cage experiments in a Norwegian Fjord.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) have been discharged to the Frierfjord (Eastern Norway) for 50 yr. The discharges, dominated by PCDF, were highest in the early 1970s and subsequently reduced 3-4 orders ofmagnitude to 1-2 g toxic equivalents (TEQ)/yr in 1992-2002. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMD) were placed in cages for 6 wk in the Frierfjord and at two locations in the adjacent Langesundsfjord.

Diastereomer-specific bioaccumulation of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in a coastal food web, Western Norway.

The present study reports diastereomer-specific accumulation of HBCD from a point source in five marine species representing a typical food web in a Norwegian coastal area. Samples of mussels, polychaetes, crabs and seabird eggs were analyzed for the diastereomers α-, β- and γ-HBCD, as well as lipid content and stable isotopes of nitrogen ((15)N/(14)N) to estimate trophic level. Accumulated HBCD did not correlate well with lipid content for most of the species, thus wet-weight based concentrations were included in an assessment of biomagnification.

Bioavailability of hexabromocyclododecane to the polychaete Hediste diversicolor: exposure through sediment and food from a contaminated fjord.

Knowledge of the bioavailability of brominated flame retardants for sediment-dwelling organisms is limited. The present study investigated bioaccumulation of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in the ragworm Hediste diversicolor exposed to field-contaminated sediments and food. Sediments and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) were sampled from a fjord on the Norwegian west coast known to be highly contaminated with the brominated flame retardant HBCD.

Spatial diastereomer patterns of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in a Norwegian fjord.

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is the third most used brominated flame retardant globally, and has been found widely distributed in the environment. The present study reports concentrations and spatial patterns of alpha, beta and gamma-HBCD in a contaminated Norwegian fjord. Intertidal surface sediment and selected species from the marine food web were sampled at five locations in increasing distance from a known point source of HBCD.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in the Grenlandfjords (Norway)--disposition, levels, and effects.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are regarded as highly toxic. Their lipophilicity and persistence also render them subject to bioaccumulation. The Grenlandfjords (southern Norway) have long been polluted by PCDD/Fs through the magnesium production at Herøya (1951-2002).

Disposition of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in two Norwegian epibenthic marine food webs.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are a group of halogenated hydrocarbons, comprising 210 different, theoretically possible congeners. They are relatively hydrophobic and persistent to biodegradation, thereby rendering them subject to bioaccumulation. This study was conducted in Frierfjord and Eidangerfjord in the Grenland fjord system, Norway, heavily polluted by PCDD/PCDF discharges from the 16,600,859 magnesium production at Herøya from 1951 to 2001.

Effects of increased sea water concentrations of CO2 on growth of the bivalve Mytilus edulis L.

It has been proposed that emission of anthropogenic carbon dioxide to the atmosphere will lead to increased concentrations of CO(2) in sea water corresponding to a decrease of pH of several tenths of pH units. An experiment was performed to test the effects of increased sea water concentrations of CO(2) on shell growth of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis. The experiment was performed in aquaria continuously flushed with sea water spiked with CO(2) to provide five different levels of pH between 6.

Organotins in marine mammals and seabirds from Norwegian territory.

An increasing number of studies indicate that marine mammals and some seabirds are exposed to organotins. However, results from northern and Arctic areas are few. Here results from analysis of tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT), monobutyltin (MBT), triphenyltin (TPhT), diphenyltin (DPhT) and monophenyltin (MPhT) in harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), common seal (Phoca vitulina), ringed seal (Phoca hispida) and glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus) from Norwegian territory are presented.

Organotin compounds in a Norwegian fjord. A comparison of concentration levels in semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and water samples.

Monitoring concentrations of organic pollutants in water is essential to predict effects and to initiate preventive steps. Results from the analysis of water samples provide snapshots of a situation, whereas monitoring using semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) provides a time-integrated picture of the concentration of pollutants in water. In this investigation, SPMDs, caged mussels and water samples were used to monitor the levels of organotin compounds in the inner Oslofjord, Norway, over a period of 12 weeks.