Organotins and Humans: Threat and Risk

Organotins have been used for a variety of purposes since their discovery and their initial use in the 1920s. However, organotins are described as toxic pollutants introduced into the environment and impacts of organotins on several organisms have been largely documented. Although studies of impacts of organotins on human health are minimal, concerns have been raised regards the entry of organotins in human food chain and its consequences. Therefore, this chapter presents a review of impacts of organotins on humans. The chapter presents major applications of organotins, their entry in the food chain and human exposure via food and other sources and finally effects of organotins on humans.

Keywords: Organotin toxicity - environmental impact - food contamination - human exposure - health effects - developing countries.