Monitoring of organotin pollution in Bizerta channel (northern Tunisia): temporal trend from 2002 to 2010.

Imposex and tributyltin (TBT) body burden were quantified in the gastropod Hexaplex trunculus collected from the Bizerta channel between 2002 and 2010. Except for the imposex frequency that remained maximal (100%), all the other imposex indices decreased throughout the study period. Similarly, TBT levels also decreased over time, being the less frequent compound among butyltins, with a proportion of 22.2%, against 42.9% for dibutyltin (DBT) and 34.9% for monobutyltin (MBT). These findings reflect the effectiveness of new generation of TBT-free antifouling paint introduced in the Tunisian market and global ban of TBT on reducing the environmental impact of this biocide.