Mirex residues in wildlife and soils, Hawaiian pineapple-growing areas--1972-74

A monitoring program was conducted in the pineapple-growing areas of Hawaii from 1972 to 1974 to survey mirex residues in sediments, soils, and aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. Residues in pineapple field soils ranged from 3 to 18 ppb 9 months after mirex had been applied. No residues were found in the sediments. Only 8 fish of 110 aquatic animals sampled contained mirex; these levels were low and ranged from 3 to 7 ppb. Mirex residues in birds ranged from undetectable to 10 ppm; residues in rodents were quite variable, but in terms of the geometric mean, the amounts in the Polynesian rat decreased with time from 1,270 to 56 ppb. Similarly, values for the roof rat ranged from 666 to 17 ppb. The geometric mean for residues in mongooses decreased from 2,200 ppb immediately after application to 238 ppb 39 weeks later. Aerial application of mirex to the pineapple fields did not contaminate the marine environment of Hawaii and no evidence of mirex residue buildup in the aquatic food chain was apparent. Mirex accumulation in terrestrial biota was temporary; there was no definitive indication of permanent accumulation in the wildlife of the areas studied.