Tsu-Chang Hung

Organotins and imposex in the rock shell, Thais clavigera, from oyster mariculture areas in Taiwan

The amounts of organotin compounds such as butyltins [sigma BTs: tributyl- (TBT), dibutyl- (DBT), monobutyl- (MBT)] and phenyltins [sigma PhTs: triphenyl- (TPhT), diphenyl- (DPhT) and monophenyl- (MPhT)] in rock shells, Thais clavigera, from the northern (Shiangsan), central (Lukang) and southern (Chiku) Taiwan oyster mariculture areas varied with season and location. High values of sigma BTs (mainly TBT) and low values of sigma PhTs (mainly TPhT) were found during winter (January 1999) at Shiangsan, while high amounts of sigma PhTs (mainly TPhT) and low sigma BTs (mainly TBT) were found during summer (August 1998) at Lukang. The snails were also affected by imposex. Imposex at Shiangsan, Lukang and Chiku increased from 67.1, 59.3 and 36.7% in summer to 100, 100 and 80% in winter, respectively. Relative penis size indices similar trend at Chiku site. No male displayed rock shells were found at Shiangsan and Lukang in winter. Linear correlations between pseudopenis length versus TBT (r = 0.7655, P < 0.001), DBT (r = 0.4253, P < 0.05), MBT (r = 0.5865, P < 0.01) and TPhT (r = -0.6160, P < 0.01) were obtained significant. Among 200 samples, significant positive correlations between length (pseudopenis/shell) ratio of female versus TBT (r = 0.6944, P < 0.005) and sigma BTs (r = 0.6413, r < 0.01) were also observed. The weak correlations between length (pseudopenis/shell) ratio of female versus DBT (r = 0.3085) and MBT (r = 0.4240, P < 0.1) and TPhT (-0.4917, P < 0.05; negative correlation) could indicate that DBT, MBT and TPhT have little or no effect on the development of imposex in rock shells.

Ecological Survey of Coastal I Water Adjacent to Nuclear Power I Plants in Taiwan

Abstract A total of six nuclear reactors installed in three power plants, two along the northern and one along the southern coasts of Taiwan, started their operations one after another since October 1977. Owing to the large quantities of cooling water intake into and discharge from the plants, some environmental factors such as water temperature, chlorine, environmental radioactivity and nearshore currents may be significantly changed. Variations of these abiotic environmental factors may influence the biological activities in the ecosystem, particularly doing some kinds of damage to marine biological resources. Therefore, the possible environmental impact upon the biological systems including the fishery resources along the northern and southern coasts of Taiwan should be studied before and during the plant operation. We have started the long-term programmes of biological, chemical and hydro-graphical surveys of the nuclear power plant sites on both northern (since July 1974) and southern (since July 197...

Species of copper and zinc in sediments collected from the antarctic ocean and the Taiwan Erhjin Chi coastal area

The species of copper and zinc, such as bioexchangeable, skeletal, easily reducible (Fe and Mn oxides), moderately reducible (crystalline Mn oxide), organic combined with sulfides, and detritus with minerals, in mud and sand, separated from the surface Antarctic Ocean and the Taiwan Erhjin Chi coastal (including river and estuarine) sediments, have been analyzed by sequential leaching methods. Results show that in the Antarctic Ocean sediments, high concentrations of total copper (128 mg/kg) and zinc (458 mg/kg) were found in the high mud (99.09%) content samples compared with the low concentrations of total copper (83.8 mg/kg) and zinc (288 mg/kg) in low mud (51.69%) content samples. High concentrations of copper, zinc, manganese and iron are possibly due to the characteristics of manganese nodules, in which the species of copper and zinc are mainly contained in the crystalline Mn oxide phase. In the Taiwan Erhjin Chi coastal sediments, the total copper and zinc concentrations in mud and sand vary with season and location. High values were generally observed in the river sediments during the dry season, and low values were in the estuarine and coastal sediments during the heavy rainy season. High percentages of copper (as high as 49.4%) and zinc (as high as 76.7%) in mud and sand were in the bioexchangeable phase including the skeletal phase. This result might be correlated with the problems arising from human impact on copper and zinc as well as sewage pollution in Taiwan. In the organic combined phase, biogenic particulate matter related to higher primary productivity in the Antarctic Ocean is also discussed.

Characterization of dissolved organic carbon and Humic substances in the well water of the Blackfoot disease area in Taiwan

Since the early 1960s, many investigators have reported that blackfoot disease, a peripheral vascular disease, observed in southwestern Taiwan is due to drinking the higher arsenic concentration in well water. However, recent studies indicated that the relationship with blackfoot disease is not only with arsenic but also humic substances. This paper presents some results concerning the characterization (such as fluorescence, elemental composition, molecular weight and carbon distribution) of humic substances isolated from the Fuhsing well water of the blackfoot disease area. For comparison, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and humic substances in the normal well water from Chiuying and the Nanwan coastal water were also analyzed. In general, in the well water of the blackfoot disease area, extremely high concentrations of DOC (18.5mg/L) and fulvic acid (7.54mg/L) with high fluorescence intensity (59.1, equivalent to 0.0282uM quinine sulfate solution) and high percentages (over 50%) of low molecular weig...

Restoration of the marine ecological environment along the charting coastal area : Chemical studies

Abstract The Charting coastal area is an important mariculture and fishery ground in Taiwan. Due to copper and organic pollution, mariculture has been prohibited by the Taiwan Government since the first case of green oysters appeared in this area in 1986. Growing algae in the polluted environment may improve water quality and re-establish the marine ecosystem. Since September, 1993, various algal species (such as Ulva, Sargassum, Grateloupia, Halymenia, Galaxura, etc.) have been cultured in the Charting coastal area. Although some of the cultivated algae were damaged by a typhoon in August, 1944, the environmental and ecological effect of the cultivated algae is still evident. the non-biological and biological components surveyed include: salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), particulate organic carbon (POC), nutrients, heavy metals and chlorophyll-a, adenosine triphosphate, primary productivity, species composition and intra-specific relationships of phyto- and zoo-pla...

Species of Organotins in Imposex of Rock Shells and Hermaphroditic Oysters from the Western Coast of Taiwan

The amounts of organotin compounds such as butyltins [BTs: tributyl- (TBT), dibutyl- (TBT), monobutyl- (MBT)] and phenyltins [PhTs: triphenyl- (TPhT), diphenyl( OPhT), monopheny- (MPhT)] in rock shells, Thais clavigera, and oysters, Crassostrea gigas, collected from the western oyster mariculture areas in Taiwan varied with sexual (male, female as well as imposex of rock shells and hermaphroditic of oysters), season and location. After examining 1206 individuals of rock shells in summer (August 1999), autumn (November 1999) and winter (January 2000), the percentages of female at Shiangsan, Lukang and Chiku areas were decreased from 47.7%, 32.7% and 66.4% in summer to 1.4%, 3.2% and 43.7% in winter while the degree of imposex were increased from 36.9%, 40.0% and 16.4% in summer to 98.6%, 96.8% and 52.1% in winter, respectively. The higher the concentrations of BTs (mainly TBT) in rock shells, the higher percentages of degree of imposex on rock shells were observed. Extremely high concentrations of BTs (821±69 ng/g; mainly TBT, 611±26 ng/g) were observed in imposex of female at Shiangsan in winter. Relatively high concentrations of PhTs (143±26 ng/g; mainly TPhT (69±13 ng/g) and DPhT (58±12 ng/g) were found in male at the same site in summer. Similar trend with rock shells, the distributions of BTs [as high as 441±30 ng/g; mainly T8T (325±31 ng/g)] and PhTs [as high as 549±18 ng/g; mainly T8T (527±13 ng/g)] in oysters were found in hermaphroditic compared with those values in female and male. Good linear positive significant relations (p＜ 0.05 to 0.001) between organotin compounds, such as TBT, DBT, BTs and PhTs, in both oysters and rock shells were obtained. High TBT in oysters and rock shells in winter were caused by both environmental parameters (the pollution sources, such as antifouling paints from harbors, ship building and petro-chemical industries) and the biological factors (such as growth rate, spawning activity, etc.). High PhTs in animals in summer were due to the high consumption of fungicides in summer compared with those in winter. The season of oysters maturity and spawning activity in Taiwan related to organotins contents were also discussed.

Species of trace metals, organic residues and humic substances in sediments from the Taiwan Erhjin River and coastal areas

Abstract Total organic carbon, humic substances, and the species of trace metals (including Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Mn and Fe) in six and seven phases, such as bioexchangeable (P1), skeletal (carbonates, P2), easily reducible (Fe and Mn oxides, P3), moderately reducible (crystalline Mn oxides, P4), organic matters with sulphides (P5), and detritus with minerals (P6) as well as organic with humic substances (PB4) and organic residues (PB6), were analyzed in sediments from the Taiwan Erhjin coastal (including river and estuarine) area, where places we found the copper pollution. Results indicate that higher percentages of P1 and P2 for copper, zinc, lead, cadmium and manganese in samples collected in March and September of 1990 were much higher than those in P3-P6. High percentages of chromium and iron in samples respectively collected in March and September of 1990 were found in P6. for the seven phase analysis, higher percentages of copper species in PB4 and PB6 as well as iron species in PB7 were observed. On the other hand, purified humic acid with the high contents of manganese and iron in humic acid as well as purified fulvic acids were generally found at the upstream stations; and low values at coastal stations. However, extremely high copper (as high as 1750μg g−1, dry weight in fulvic acid and 820μg g−1 in humic acid) and lead (821μg g−1 in humic acid) concentrations with relatively high manganese and iron concentrations were observed in humic substances from the station near the copper recycling area. Comparing the results obtained from the Antarctic Ocean sediments with those from the Taiwan Erhjin Chi coastal sediments, the human impacts on the latter are evaluated.

Restoration of the Marine Ecological Environment Along the Charting Coast: Primary Productivity and Biomass Study

Abstract Since 1986, when green oysters occurred due to the copper and organic pollution in the Charting coastal area, the government banned all maricultural activity. It has been claimed that growing algae in a polluted environment may clean the water of pollutants and restore the marine ecosystem. to test this hypothesis, in the Charting coastal area a three-year programme (from August 1992 to July 1995) was carried out. the survey programme included environmental components such as salinity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand (BOD), particulate organic carbon (POC), heavy metals and ecological indicators such as nutrients, chlorophyll-a, primary productivity. in the first year study, the environmental background data collected was used to select the suitable season and locations for growing large algae transferred from the laboratory to the field study area. Since September 1993, various species of large algae have been cultured. Although some of the growing algae were damaged ...