Mirex in Other Geographic Areas

Mirex residues in 20 great homed owls Bubo virginianus) found dead or dying in New York State in 1980-82 contain concentrations of mirex and PCBs higher than those reported for great homed owls elsewhere. Owls in poor flesh contained higher residues than those in good flesh these values were 6.3 mg/kg FW vs. 0.07 mg/kg FW for brain, and 5.6 mg/kg FW vs. 0.1 mg/kg FW for liver. Waterfowl collected from upstate New York between 1979 and 1982 had about 0.07 mg mirex/kg FW breast muscle and 0.28 mg/kg FW subcutaneous fat. 

Mink Mustela vison) collected from the Northwest Territories of Canada between 1991 and 1995 had liver mirex concentrations between 0.08 and 0.39p,g/kg FW. These extremely low mirex concentrations were, nevertheless, higher than Uver mirex concentrations in prey species (snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus, 0.08-0.13 ttg/kg FW northern red-backed vole. Clethrionomys rutilus, 0.32 ttg/kg FW), suggesting that mirex biomagnification in mammalian wildlife food chains is possible. 

Mirex is classified as a Group 2B carcinogen, indicating that it is a possible human carcinogen. For the protection of human health, oral intake should not exceed 0.0002 mg/kg 

BW daily, equivalent to 0.014 mg daily for a 70-kg person. In 1995, the recommended concentration of mirex in water should not exceed 0.001 p-g/L in order to protect human health, freshwater and marine life, irrigated crops, and watered livestock. Fish in the human diet should not contain more than 0.1 mg mirex/kg fresh weight. Average acceptable ambient air concentrations recommended for the protection of human health range between 0.03p,g/m in New York to 0.88 xg/m in Pennsylvania in Kentucky, air emission levels of mirex products should not exceed 232.0 p-g per hour. 

Mirex replacements should not manifest the properties that led to the discontinuance of mirex for all uses namely, delayed mortality in aquatic and terrestrial fauna numerous birth defects tumor formation histopathology adverse effects on reproduction, early growth, and development high biomagnification and persistence dis-mpted energy metabolism degradation into 

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