The color consists of a substance called tributyltin which causes hormonal disruption; The phenomenon of sex change, known as "imposex", was found in 800 adult females in the port of Haifa
Rinat Zafir, Haaretz and Walla News!
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The sight that was discovered last year in the port of Haifa caused deep concern even among experienced marine researchers. In 800 mature female snails collected for research, a male genital organ was discovered. In fact, there was not even one female snail in which the phenomenon was not detected. What caused the change? Indirectly, it can be said that the snails paid the price for ship owners' desire to sail fast.
The researchers at the Seas and Lakes Research Institute in Haifa believe that what caused the phenomenon was a toxic substance called tributyltin - "TBT" - used to paint ships. This is a tin compound, which has been used for decades as a means of preventing "sea stick" (plants and animals that cling to the belly of a vessel). The sticky materials slow down the movement of the ships due to the increased friction in the water, and can even cause them to stop.
These days, the institute is publishing a report with serious findings about high levels of contamination with this substance in ports and marinas in Israel. Against the background of the findings, the director of the institute, Dr. Yuval Cohen - who authored the study together with Dr. Barak Harot - calls for swift action to regulate legislation that will prohibit The use of paints containing tributyltin. According to the two, until then awareness activities must be carried out among vessel owners, so that they stop using the substance.
Entire populations of snails have already become extinct
25 years ago it became clear that trivotilin was causing damage on a global scale. Initially, its toxic effect was discovered in laboratories, and then in surveys around the world. It turned out that the substance is released slowly in water, sticks to particles and animals and accumulates in their tissues. The TBT then spreads throughout the food chain, thus reaching concentrations tens of thousands of times higher than its concentrations in seawater.
The toxic compound causes, for example, damage to the growth rate of oysters, due to the death of young oysters as a result of exposure to it. However, the most common and worrisome damage is the sex change phenomenon, known as "imposex". It was found that even exposure to relatively low levels of tributyltin causes a hormonal disorder in animals, which results in the appearance of male genitalia in females.
The phenomenon, which causes reproductive failures, was discovered in more than 100 species of snails; In some places entire populations of snails became extinct as a result. In Israel, the phenomenon was discovered for the first time four years ago by Gil Rilov from Tel Aviv University, who found impossex in females of two species of snails on the shores of Israel. However, Rilov also did not find such a high rate of casualties as was recently discovered in the port of Haifa. The degree of damage caused to humans due to the environmental pollution of tributyltin is currently being examined by the European Union.
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