Assessment of occupational and dietary exposures of feed handling workers to mycotoxins in rural areas from S?o Paulo, Brazil

Author(s)

Franco, Larissa T. ; Oliveira, Carlos A. F.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Science of The Total Environment; v. 837, p. 8-pg., 2022-09-01.

Abstract

In the current study, the occupational and dietary exposures of feed handling workers (N = 28) to aflatoxins (AFs), fumonisins (FBs), ochratoxin A (OTA), deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN), toxins T-2 and HT-2 were assessed for the first time in animal-producing farms and feed factories from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Mycotoxins in food (n = 244) and airborne dust (n = 27), as well as biomarkers in urine (n = 97) samples were determined by liquid chromatogra-phy coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. FBs were detected in all airborne dust samples, with concentrations ranging from 7.85 to 16,839 ng/m(3). The mean probable daily intake (PDI) based on food data were 0.005, 0.769, 0.673 and 0.012 mu g/kg of body weight (bw)/day for AFs, FBs, DON and ZEN, respectively. Mean PDI values obtained through urinary biomarkers were 0.29, 0.10, 0.50, 9.72 and 0.10 mu g/kg body weight/day for AFB1, DON, OTA, FB1 and ZEN, respectively. The analyses based on urinary biomarkers revealed a potential health concern for OTA and FBs, although no potential health concern was observed with PDI calculated through food data. Results of this trial stress the need for preventive measures to avoid health risks of workers in Brazilian animal-producing farms and feed industries. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/00990-7 - Biomonitoring of Mycotoxins in Urine for Evaluation of Exposure Through Diet and Occupational Pathway in Rural Areas of the State of São Paulo
• Grantee: Larissa Tuanny Franco
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral