title: Global risk assessment of aflatoxins in maize and peanuts: are regulatory standards adequately protective?
abstract: The aflatoxins are a group of fungal metabolites that contaminate a variety of staple crops, including maize and peanuts, and cause an array of acute and chronic human health effects. Aflatoxin B1 in particular is a potent liver carcinogen, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk is multiplicatively higher for individuals exposed to both aflatoxin and chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV). In this work, we sought to answer the question: do current aflatoxin regulatory standards around the world adequately protect human health? Depending upon the level of protection desired, the answer to this question varies. Currently, most nations have a maximum tolerable level of total aflatoxins in maize and peanuts ranging from 4 to 20ng/g. If the level of protection desired is that aflatoxin exposures would not increase lifetime HCC risk by more than 1 in 100,000 cases in the population, then most current regulatory standards are not adequately protective even if enforced, especially in low-income countries where large amounts of maize and peanuts are consumed and HBV prevalence is high. At the protection level of 1 in 10,000 lifetime HCC cases in the population, however, almost all aflatoxin regulations worldwide are adequately protective, with the exception of several nations in Africa and Latin America.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Felicia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shaina L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Stacy
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Kensler
mesh_terms: D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D010367:Arachis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000592:standards; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology; D059022:Food Safety; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D003313:Zea mays / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D000348:Aflatoxins
keywords: (3–6) aflatoxin; hepatocellular carcinoma; risk assessment.