Conclusion

Our work as a whole enables us to offer a simple means of checking the absence of TBT in antifouling systems, and to verify compliance with regulations without hindering the movement of boats or damaging paintwork. At present, checks on compliance with legislation are based on verification of the antifouling system's international certificate. To our knowledge, this bioassay is the only specific biological system for TBT and DBT.

In addition to detecting TBT in paints, this test can also be used to check for the presence of TBT and DBT in waste products. Concentrations in seawater are too low to measure TBT directly, so a concentration system will have to be considered in future developments.