Is Tributyltin safe in food and drink?
Food processing1 use researched5 sourced claims
Where it turns up: environmental contaminant in seafood. Detox My Life researched tributyltin under one use, because the same substance means something different in each use. Every claim below carries its evidence tier, how sure the research is that it applies here, and the sources it cites. The level is computed by the app's own deterministic engine, so the page says exactly what the app would.
Level by use and lens
| Use | Mainstream | Cautious (default) | Based | Concerns · favour · fringe |
|---|
| Eaten or drunk | Watch | Watch | Watch | 5 · 0 |
Mainstream shows consensus claims only; Cautious adds emerging research; Based adds fringe claims, labelled as such. The last column counts, under Cautious, the sourced concerns, the findings in its favour and the fringe claims Based would add.
Safer swaps: the app's swap catalog has no entry tied to this ingredient yet. When you scan a product that contains it, the app suggests cleaner alternative types for that product; the swap categories list what the catalog covers today.
Eaten or drunk Watch
Under the default Cautious lens tributyltin in food and drink rates Watch: worth watching; the app would list a cleaner alternative type. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Watch; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Watch. Researched 2026-09-03.
Sourced concerns (5)
ConsensusEndocrineconfidence 50%
Tributyltin is classified as an endocrine disruptor and immunotoxic agent by regulatory bodies and scientific reviews.
- Why here
- Ingestion of contaminated seafood and water is a primary route of human exposure, leading to systemic absorption and potential interference with the endocrine system and immune function.
- What would have to be true
- Ingestion above the World Health Organization (WHO) acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 250 ng/kg/day or the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.25 µg/kg/day.
Sources the engine cites:
ConsensusMetabolicconfidence 50%
Ingestion of high levels of tributyltin can damage the endocrine glands, reproductive and central nervous systems, bone structure, and the liver bile duct in mammals.
- Why here
- Tributyltin is easily absorbed by mammals through ingestion and can accumulate in tissues, leading to systemic organ toxicity.
- What would have to be true
- High levels, such as oral LD50 values for tributyltin oxide (TBTO) ranging from 55 to 87 mg/kg in mice and rats.
Sources the engine cites:
EmergingSuspected carcinogenconfidence 50%
Tributyltin is linked in animal studies to an increased incidence of tumors of endocrine origin, though its carcinogenic status in humans is uncertain.
- Why here
- Long-term dietary exposure in animal models suggests a potential for carcinogenicity through ingestion, specifically affecting endocrine organs.
- What would have to be true
- High doses in animal studies, such as 50 ppm tributyltin oxide in rat diet over a 2-year feeding study.
Sources the engine cites:
EmergingMetabolicconfidence 50%
Tributyltin is associated with increased body weight, impaired glucose and insulin homeostasis, and obesity in animal models, potentially mediated by gut microbiome alterations.
- Why here
- Direct ingestion studies in mice have shown a link between tributyltin exposure and these metabolic dysfunctions.
- What would have to be true
- Exposure at NOEL (L-TBT) and tenfold NOEL (H-TBT) daily by gavage for 8 weeks in mice.
Sources the engine cites (no regulator, review or study among them):
- 1 web article (wikipedia.org), linked in the app.
EmergingMetabolicconfidence 50%
Tributyltin is linked in animal studies to developmental and teratogenic effects, including increased fetal mortality, cleft palate, and offspring behavioral abnormalities, at high maternal ingestion doses.
- Why here
- Direct maternal ingestion in animal studies demonstrates adverse developmental outcomes in offspring.
- What would have to be true
- Maternal ingestion at doses of 5 mg/kg/day to 16 mg/kg/day during pregnancy in rats.
Sources the engine cites:
Not researched here
The engine has no dossier for tributyltin when cooked with heat, in cold food, as a finishing ingredient, in heated food packaging or other uses. The app researches an ingredient for the use it infers from your product, so a scan fills these in; this page only shows what has already been researched and source-verified.
This is research, not medical advice. Detox My Life shows sourced claims sorted by evidence tier. It does not diagnose, treat, or tell you to start or stop anything. Talk to a qualified professional about your health.
Scan your own. The app reads any product label with your camera, works out how you are about to use it, and researches every ingredient for that use with live sources. Every scan adds to a Detox Score for your home, where 50 is a typical home in your region, and a plan of next swaps.
See also: all ingredients · paste a label to check it · how to read an ingredient flag
