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Imposex in Reishia clavigera as an Indicator to Assess Recovery of TBT Pollution After a Total Ban in South Korea

  • Special Issue: Indicators of Ocean Pollution
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Abstract

The temporal changes in the frequency and degree of imposex and tributyltin (TBT) levels in gastropod (Reishia clavigera) were evaluated in Jinhae Bay, 5 and 10 years after the total ban on TBT usage in South Korea. The frequency and degree of imposex decreased significantly after the ban, accompanied by an increase in the female-to-male ratio. The TBT concentrations in R. clavigera also decreased significantly after the ban. There were good correlations between the TBT concentration in rock shell and both the degree of imposex and the female-to-male ratio. The total TBT ban effectively reduced the TBT levels and the frequency and degree of imposex in R. clavigera. However, the current low exposure level in the study area is still sufficient to cause imposex in R. clavigera. More time is needed to reduce the TBT levels to levels that do not have adverse biological effects on R. clavigera.

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Acknowledgements

This study was partially supported by research projects titled “Development of Techniques for Assessment and Management of Hazardous Chemicals in the Marine Environment.” Funding was provided by Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oil and POPs Research Group, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Geoje, 53201, Republic of Korea

    Nam Sook Kim, Sang Hee Hong & Won Joon Shim

  2. Department of Marine Sciences and Convergent Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan, 15588, Republic of Korea

    Nam Sook Kim & Kyung-Hoon Shin

  3. Department of Marine Environmental Sciences, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea

    Sang Hee Hong & Won Joon Shim

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  1. Nam Sook Kim
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  2. Sang Hee Hong
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  3. Kyung-Hoon Shin
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Correspondence to Won Joon Shim.

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Kim, N.S., Hong, S.H., Shin, KH. et al. Imposex in Reishia clavigera as an Indicator to Assess Recovery of TBT Pollution After a Total Ban in South Korea. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 73, 301–309 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-017-0369-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-017-0369-x

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