Levels of Organotin Compounds in Diet Samples from Portugal - Preliminary Results from a Duplicate Diet Study

Introduction Organotin compounds (OTs) are ubiquitous contaminants used as PVC stabilizers, antifouling biocides, agricultural pesticides and catalysts for the production of polyurethanes and silicones 1 . Despite broad range of applications, their notoriety is due to the outstanding biocidal properties of triorganotin derivatives, particularly tributyltin (TBT), used for decades as an active ingredient in antifouling paint formulations. Its widespread use led to the global contamination of the marine environment at an incomparable scale and to a wide range of deleterious effects in aquatic ecosystems 1 . Due to its toxicity and persistency, TBT use was banned in September 2008 on a global scale and as a result the levels of this compound in the aquatic environment (including seafood) are declining 1 . However, the TBT story is far from reaching an end; in fact, the discovery of its obesogenic potential placed it again in the forefront of scientific research. Several in vitro and in vivo studies with gastropods, amphibians, fish 5 and particularly with mice 26 , demonstrated that TBT is able to interfere with adipocyte differentiation and/or proliferation. Such results demonstrated for the first time that an environmental contaminant was able to alter the metabolic homeostasis and could therefore play a major role in the development of obesity 7 . TBT was the first obesogenic compound described and is probably the most studied, being considered a model obesogen 8 . Bearing in mind that obesity is a global epidemic, a great deal of effort has been undertaken not only to better describe the role of environmental contaminants in the etiology of this disease but also in their mode of action. Hence, basic knowledge on the average intake of these contaminants is mandatory. In the present work we quantified the levels of organotin compounds, including the model obesogen TBT, in duplicate diet samples from members of University of Aveiro community, in order to characterize the intake of these compounds.