Antifoulants in Sediments from the French Mediterranean Coast

Organotins have been used most extensively as the main biocide in antifouling paints. Due to deleterious effects, the use of organotins on small boats has been widely prohibited since the mid-1980s. IMO’s Antifouling System Convention entered into force on 17 Sept. 2008 [1]. As a result, other formulations have been used. The goal of this study is to assess the level of antifoulants in ports and marinas along the Southern France coastline. Simultaneous derivatisation and extraction were used for organotins sample preparation and a GC-FPD (610 nm filter) was used for determinations. Other antifoulants were extracted by a microwave and analysed with a GC-NPD. Every port and marina showed high levels of organotins (37-4000 ng Sn/g d.w.) [2]. The only non-organotin compound found was Irgarol 1051 (<1-689 ng/g d.w.).