Og 4,5 milliarder mennesker, langt de fleste i u-landene, er udsatte for høje og livsfarlige koncentrationer uden at ane det – alene i Afrika syd for Sahara skønnes det, at 26.000 dør af leverkræft hvert år på grund af den snigende forurening af madvarerne.
NAIROBI, 25 November 2013 (IRIN): The UN World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that billions (milliarder) of people in the developing world are chronically exposed to aflatoxin, a natural poison on food crops which causes cancer, impairs (svækker) the immune system, inhibits growth (standser kropsvækst), and causes liver disease as well as death in both humans and animals.
According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) aflatoxins contaminate (besmitter /forurener) one-quarter of the global food supply and over half the world’s population; 4,5 billion people are exposed to high, unmonitored levels (ikke-overvågede niveauer af giftene), primarily in developing countries.
In sub-Saharan African alone, an estimated 26.000 people die annually of liver cancer (leverkræft) associated with aflatoxin exposure.
Aflatoxins not only pose serious health risks, but are believed to be detrimental to (skadelig for) efforts to improve food security and international food trade.
According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), an estimated 25 percent of the world’s food crops are affected by aflatoxins.
This briefing looks at some of the efforts to combat aflatoxins, as well as the remaining challenges.
What are aflatoxins?
Aflatoxins are a naturally occurring carcinogenic by-product of common fungi (svampe) on grains (kornsorter) and other crops, particularly maize and groundnuts. They are a kind of mycotoxin, a highly toxic product of moulds (skimmel) that occurs on almost all agricultural commodities worldwide.
Aflatoxins are one of the most potent naturally occurring toxic substances; they are produced by fungi known as Aspergillus flavus.
Aflatoxin is not always obvious, and even grains that appear normal could actually be infested with (inficeret af) high levels of the toxin-producing fungus, which thrives under poor storage conditions (lagerforhold).
While the presence of moulds might be an indicator of the toxin, “it is a highly imperfect indicator of aflatoxin contamination,” according to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.
The occurrence of aflatoxins is largely dependent on “geographic location, agricultural and agronomic practices, and pre- and post-harvest handling.
If crop drying is delayed or storage is not properly handled, the effects can be greater, with insect and rodent (gnaver) infestations facilitating the invasion of fungal-producing aflatoxins and contaminating stored products.”
Which foods are most susceptible to (udsatte for) aflatoxin contamination?
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http://www.irinnews.org/report/99196/briefing-how-to-stop-a-deadly-fungus-affecting-billions
