Assessment of the Tributyltin Distribution in the Central Red Sea Coast of Saudi Arabia

Document Type : Original Article

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Abstract

The Tributyltin (TBT) is one of the significant anthropogenic impacts on the coastal ecosystems throughout the world. The current study evaluated the status of TBT contamination in the central Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. In order to accomplish this, samples (water, sediment and gastropods) were collected from four locations from the Jeddah coast of the central Red Sea for the analysis of TBT. The findings showed that the levels of TBT level in the sediment and seawater were below detection limits in stations that were distant from the harbour. Sediment samples taken from the stations close to the harbour revealed a low-level (0.011- 0.021µg g-1) occurrence of TBT. TBT content was recorded in the gastropods collected from all the four stations. Overall, the findings showed that the TBT concentrations in sediment and gastropod samples were below the maximum allowable limits suggested by various international agencies.  

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