野生中华鲟（Acipenser sinensis）种群数量急剧下降可能是一种渗透到这种鲟的栖息地的涂料化学物质造成的。
Jianying Hu及其同事证明了一种名为TPT的含锡有机物可以进入鲟的卵，而且造成了眼畸形和骨骼缺损。这组科学家发现，雌性鲟可以把TPT转移到它们的卵中，其浓度对在长江受精或孵化的幼鱼造成了显著的风险。这组作者发现，从长江中捕获的7.5%的中华鲟幼鱼有眼或骨骼畸形。在实验中让中华鲟和西伯利亚鲟（A. baerii）接触较高TPT浓度导致了畸形发生的增加，畸形发生率符合在接触类似浓度的该化合物的野生种群中见到的发生率。然而，接触了类似于在中华鲟卵中发现的含锡有机物的西伯利亚鲟卵并没有导致显著数量的畸形。这组作者提出，TPT很可能是见于中华鲟的畸形的原因，而且可能影响了这一物种的迅速衰退。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
PNAS May 26, 2009, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0809434106
Malformations of the endangered Chinese sturgeon, Acipenser sinensis, and its causal agent
Jianying Hua,1, Zhaobin Zhanga, Qiwei Weib, Huajun Zhena, Yanbin Zhaoa, Hui Penga, Yi Wana, John P. Giesyc,d,e, Luoxin Lib and Bo Zhangf
The anadromous Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) is endangered and listed among the first class of protected animals in China. The possible causes for the decline of this species are the effects of synthetic chemicals, and loss of critical habitat. Chinese sturgeon in the Yangtze River have accumulated triphenyltin (TPT) to 31–128 ng/g wet weigh (ww) in liver, which is greater than the concentrations of tributyltin (<1.0 ng/g ww). Maternal transfer of TPT has resulted in concentrations of 25.5 ± 13.0 ng/g ww in eggs of wild Chinese sturgeon, which poses a significant risk to the larvae naturally fertilized or hatched in the Yangtze River. The incidence of deformities in fry was 7.5%, with 1.2% of individuals exhibiting ocular abnormal development, and 6.3% exhibited skeletal/morphological deformations. The incidences of both ocular and skeletal/morphological deformations were directly proportional to the TPT concentration in the eggs of both the Chinese sturgeon and the Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) in controlled laboratory studies. The rates of deformities in the controlled studies were consistent with the rates caused at the similar concentrations in eggs collected from the field. Thus, TPT is the causal agent to induce the malformation of larvae of Chinese sturgeon. The incidence of deformed larvae of Chinese sturgeon is an indicator of overall population-level effects of TPT on Chinese sturgeon, because TPT at environmentally relevant concentrations can result in significantly decrease both quality and quantity of eggs and spawning frequency of fish.
