Tin (Sn) is a naturally occurring metal element contained primarily in its chief ore cassiterite, a tin oxide mineral. Tin can be found in a number of compounds whose drastically different toxicities make some of them useful as pesticides while others are used to package food. The manufacture of tin products has increased tin's prevalence in the environment, and some compounds pose health risks to people and wildlife. This study investigates tin pollution in the Mattabesset River and its possible connection to a historical tinsmithing industry located in the town of Berlin, Connecticut. Tinsmithing was introduced to the United States in the mid-18th century when Edward Pattison established a tinsmithing shop in Berlin, Connecticut. Pattison's lightweight and durable tin wares were incredibly popular, and he became the first Yankee peddler when he began travelling from town to town selling his wares. Berlin remained the foremost tinsmithing hub in the United States throughout the 19th century. The once thriving tinsmithing industry produced tons of tin scraps that settled into the surrounding environment where they can dissolve and pose health risks. To investigate tin pollution in the Mattabesset River and its possible connection to Berlin's historic tinware industry, thirteen grab samples and five sediment cores were collected from the Mattabesset River's upper portion that flows through Berlin. Sediment samples were analyzed for Sn and other chemicals with the XRF and DMA-80 machines in the Wesleyan University Earth and Environmental Sciences Department. Natural background levels of Sn in New England soils are < 1-3 ppm (Milligan, 2016). We detected elevated Sn concentrations up to 171 ppm, with mean concentrations of <1, 7, 15, 26, and 47 ppm in the five sediment cores. These results far exceed tin's natural background levels and prove that there is anthropogenic tin contamination in the Mattabesset River's marine sediments. Tin in the Mattabesset River may exist as metallic tin, inorganic tin compounds, organotins, or some assortment thereof. Remnant scraps of metallic tin from Berlin's historic tinsmithing industry likely underwent natural chemical reactions that transformed them into inorganic compounds and possibly organic methyltins. Other organotins may have been introduced as pollution from pesticides, antifouling paints, and other anthropogenic sources. Regardless of their source(s), organotins are highly toxic and pose health risks to people and wildlife if they are present. Tin's exact chemical nature is still unknown, and complex sedimentation in the Mattabesset River prevented thorough dating of the cores. The environmental legacy of Berlin's tinsmiths is therefore not fully understood, but Berlin's tinsmithing industry is most likely responsible for the bulk of tin contamination in the Mattabesset River. Further research is necessary to determine the age and chemical nature of Sn in the Mattabesset, demystify the legacy of tinsmiths, and evaluate the health risks posed by tin contamination.
"},{"label":"Degree","value":["Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors"]},{"label":"Author-supplied Keywords","value":["Yankee peddler","Tinsmith","Organotins","Mattabesset River","Connecticut","Berlin","Tinware","Tin (Sn) contamination"]},{"label":"Administrative Note","value":"Drupal Node ID: 24284