Overview
ISO 17353:2004 - "Water quality - Determination of selected organotin compounds - Gas chromatographic method" specifies a validated laboratory procedure for the identification and quantification of selected organotin compounds in drinking water, surface water, wastewater and marine water. The method covers targeted organotins (MBT, DBT, TBT, TTBT, MOT, DOT, TPhT, TCyT) and is extendable to other alkyl/aryl organotins. The working range is 10 ng/L to 1 000 ng/L, and samples may contain up to 2 g/L suspended material. The standard uses derivatization and capillary gas chromatography with organotin‑specific detection.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Sample matrices: drinking water, surface water, wastewater, marine water (suspended solids ≤ 2 g/L).
- Analytes: monobutyltin (MBT), dibutyltin (DBT), tributyltin (TBT), tetrabutyltin (TTBT), monooctyltin (MOT), dioctyltin (DOT), triphenyltin (TPhT), tricyclohexyltin (TCyT); method can also apply to other mono/di‑substituted organotins.
- Preparation: alkylation (derivatization) with sodium tetraethylborate, followed by liquid–liquid extraction (hexane), optional silica clean‑up and concentration.
- Separation & detection: capillary gas chromatography; compatible detectors include GC–MS, flame photometric detector (FPD), atomic emission detector (AED).
- Calibration & quantification: calibration of the full procedure using internal standards and multicomponent stock/spiking solutions; recommended preparation and stability conditions are specified.
- Working range & sensitivity: validated for 10–1 000 ng/L; blanks and reagent purity must be checked due to potential organotin contamination.
- Quality & safety: use Grade 1 water (ISO 3696), follow sampling guidance (ISO 5667 series) and standard laboratory safety practices.
Applications and users
ISO 17353:2004 is intended for:
- Environmental and analytical chemistry laboratories performing organotin monitoring.
- Water utilities and regulatory agencies assessing water quality and compliance.
- Research groups studying organotin contamination in freshwater, wastewater and marine environments.
- Marine monitoring programs where organotin compounds (e.g., TBT) are of regulatory or ecological concern.
Practical uses include routine monitoring, incident investigation, effluent testing, and research on bioaccumulation and environmental fate.
Related standards
Keywords: ISO 17353:2004, organotin, water quality, gas chromatographic method, GC‑MS, sodium tetraethylborate, tributyltin (TBT), environmental monitoring, drinking water, wastewater, marine water.