Carleton Chemistry Prof. J. David Miller chaired a working group of world-leading experts convened by theInternational Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that recently reached an important conclusion about the health effects of mycotoxins, the toxic compounds produced by organisms of the fungi kingdom commonly known as molds.
The panel, which was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation(BMGF), concluded that specific mycotoxins such as aflatoxins and fumonisins are not only a cause of acute poisoning and cancer but are also a likely contributor to the high levels of stunting in children in affected populations. The working group also identified effective measures to reduce exposure in developing countries. These recommendations have been published in the report Mycotoxin Control in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, which is available in English, French and Spanish.
“Worldwide, more than 160 million children younger than five years are stunted,” said Miller. “Improving mycotoxin control could have a far-reaching health benefit. It is time to put the existing knowledge and technology into action to control mycotoxin food contamination in low-income countries.”
An estimated 500 million of the poorest people in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Asia are exposed to the pervasive natural toxins, aflatoxins and fumonisins, on a daily basis by eating their staple diet of groundnuts, maize and other cereals. Exposure occurs throughout life at levels far in excess of internationally accepted norms. This contrasts starkly with the situation in developed countries, where people and livestock are protected by good agricultural practices, regulation and legislation.
Exposure to mycotoxins at these high levels substantially increases mortality and morbidity. Aflatoxin is a cause of human liver cancer, and fatalities from outbreaks of acute aflatoxin poisoning occur in Africa and Asia.
“The report stresses the need for a coordinated international response to the problem of mycotoxin contamination of food,” says Christopher Wild, director of IARC. “Its health impact has been neglected for too long. We have the tools to make a difference. Now we must find the political will.”
The panel also evaluated 15 interventions against mycotoxins, considering the strength of the evidence as well as its completeness and transferability at an individual, community or national level. Four of the measures were judged to be ready for implementation.
“The IARC Working Group Report’s recommendations provide a reliable foundation for investment of public, non-governmental organization and private funds to tackle this neglected problem,” says Sindura Ganapathi of the Global Health Program at the BMGF. “What is needed now is effective translation of the vast body of science through to subsistence and smallholder farmers
The full report is available here.
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