The ability of a range of wood decaying fungi to inactivate bis(tri-n-butyltin) oxide (TnBTO) in the extracellular growth medium, in stationary liquid culture was determined. A distinction between the ability to tolerate the fungicide and to inactivate it was made: the white-rot organism Coriolus versicolor being the most efficient inactivator. In an attempt to determine the extracellular agents responsible for any detoxification, Coriolus versicolor was shown to produce significantly greater levels of extracellular free radicals/peroxidase. Preliminary tests have shown the nature of the associated anion on the fungicide effects the susceptibility of tributyltin compounds to free radical attack in a chemical system. The ability of an free radical scavenger to reduce detoxification in such a system has also been demonstrated.