Introduction
Aflatoxin is a kind of mycotoxins, which involve all toxins produced by fungi. About 30 years ago, Aflatoxin was found when 100000 turkeys were poisoned and dead in Britain (HKSAR, 2011). Several high-profile contagions have occurred in Eastern Africa in these 20 years (Azziz-Baumgartner, 2005). Aflatoxin has been closely monitored; due to this mycotoxin can cause serious impact on agricultural crops and human health. It is the most popular researched in a variety of mycotoxin known to human disease (HKSAR, 2011). This risk profile summarizes the existing scientific information and helps to prioritize the various problems. The four objectives as a scientific foundation of this risk assessment consists are: Hazard Identification, Hazard Characterization, Exposure Assessment and Risk Characterization.
Hazard Identification Aflatoxins often arise in crops in the field before harvest, while postharvest contamination can appear if crop drying is delayed, and if water is allowed to exceed critical values for the mold growth during storage of the crop. Insect or rodent infestations facilitate mold invasion of some stored commodities (HKSAR, 2011). Aflatoxins are normally found in peanuts, cottonseed, nuts, figs, spices, and a variety of dried fruits and feeds. Milk, eggs, and meat products are polluted because of the animal intake of Aflatoxin contaminated feed (D. Dhanasekaran et al., 2011).
The primary target organ for Aflatoxins is the liver, and after the it invades into the liver, lipids permeate hepatocytes and result in necrosis or liver cell death (D. Dhanasekaran et al., 2011). It also effects on the lungs, myocardium and. Furthermore, results shows that, the Aflatoxin can accumulate in the brain, and teratogenic ef...
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—- . ”Tyson Foods: Living Food Safety." Tyson. Tyson, 28 Feb 2014. Web. 7 Apr 2014.
The most common route of exposure to mycotoxins is ingestion, but it may also involve dermal, respiratory, and parenteral routes, the last being associated with drug abuse (Peraica and Domijan, 2001). In general, animals are directly exposed to mycotoxins through the consumption of mouldy feedstuffs, eating contaminated foods, skin contact with mould infected substrates and inhalation of spore-borne toxins (Bennett and Klich, 2003a). Human exposure to mycotoxins may result from consumption of plant-derived foods that are contaminated with toxins, the carry-over of mycotoxins and their metabolites in animal products such as meat and eggs (Veldman, 2004) or exposure to air and dust containing toxins (Jarvis, 2002). Most importantly, the presence of potentially toxigenic fungi does not imply the presence of mycotoxins, nor does the finding of mycotoxins prove that a particular species is, or was, present. Toxin production is dependent on substrates, nutrient levels, moisture, pH, and temperature (Murtoniemi et al.,
More precisely DON is classified as type-B trichothecene [20]. It is produced by Fusarium culmorum and F. graminearum [(Maresca, 2013). DON contamination is observed worldwide, within cereal crops such as wheat, maize or barley being most frequently affected (Richard, 2007). Furthermore, silage contamination is regularly observed (Tangni et al., 2013). Cold and wet weather conditions favour DON production (Lindblad et al., 2012) and it was found that the timing of the rainfall is more influential than the amount of precipitation (Mesterházy, 2002). In animal husbandry, DON, also known as vomitoxin, is primarily known for causing feed refusal and emesis in pigs (Pestka, 2007). This mycotoxin also alters the immune response and the intestinal functions (Pestka, 2007). DON may be produced together with two acetylated derivatives, 3-AcDON and 15-AcDON, that have differential toxicity on pig intestine (Behrens et al., 2015). Poultry are not as sensitive to DON and feed refusal is only observed at very high concentrations (16–20 mg/kg feed) (Whitlow and Hagler, 2002). Ruminants are the least sensitive animal species to DON, a fact that is attributed to the capacity of rumen microflora to detoxify this mycotoxin (Fink-Gremmels,
...o public health. Weaponization involves aerosolizing the toxin to particles between 1-5µm in diameter (4) which facilitates inhalation of the toxin and access to the lower respiratory tract. (1,4) After the toxin crosses the pulmonary alveolar epithelium, it gains access to the bloodstream and nervous system, causing symptoms similar to foodborne botulism. (1) Thankfully, there have been no major successes in this area because the exposure of the toxin to heat, acid, and ultraviolet light during weapon deployment are likely to degrade its activity. (4) Bioterrorism may also involve contamination of food or beverage supplies within a community, resulting in foodborne botulism. (1)
In this paper I will be focusing my attention on foods modified to produce a certain insecticidal protein known as Bt. I have to do this mostly for brevity. To discuss in detail all of the types GMOs in production or slated for production could easily fill a paper ten times as long as this. Also, Bt crops are already in wide production, with over three million acres planted worldwide, and are already sold in many processed foods (Altieri, 2000). This makes the task of dispelling myths about them all the more prudent. The alleged dangers of Bt crops can be roughly divided into two groups: the risks that growing them pose to the environment, and the risks that eating them pose to people.
Pesticides can be absorbed from the outside of the produce to the inside of the skin. If one does not eat completely organic, there is no way to stay completely away from consuming chemicals. Pesticides also contaminate drinking water. Run off water from farms using pesticides contaminate rivers and have the potential to infiltrate drinking water supplies ("Assessing Health Risks from Pesticides | Pesticides | US EPA"). A simple way to avoid this is to filter your water a few extra times before you consume it. Scientists know more about the effect pesticides have on people than the effects GMOs do. This evidence is due to worker exposer. People who apply pesticides such as vegetable and fruit pickers. The Environmental Protection Agency known as the EPA, evaluates exposure workers have to chemicals. The EPA only registers chemicals that are shown to be safe if used properly. There are different ways to be exposed to pesticide, inhalation exposure, dermal exposure, and oral exposure. Testing is typically preformed on animals by pesticide companies in independent laboratories. While testing pesticides the EPA looks for a wide range of side effects such as eye and skin irritation to birth defects and cancer. The Federal Government also regulates pesticides, “to ensure that they do not pose unreasonable risk to human health or the environment.” ("Assessing Health Risks from Pesticides | Pesticides | US
Shah, Anup . "Is GE Food Safe?." - Global Issues. N.p., 20 Jan. 2002. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
To help keep crops from being destroyed, conventional farmers use many methods such as pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Nearly 1 billion pounds of these chemicals are used every year (“pesticides”). Because of this excessive use, some scientists express concern that using artificial chemicals in the farming process could produce unhealthy crops. People who ate it over a long period of time could suffer from degraded health and stunted growth (“Organic Foods”). For example, in 1989, the EPA banned the use of Alar which was a chemical used to ripen apples (“Farming, Organics”). This chemical proved to be carcinogenic after causing tumors in mice after several laboratory tests (“Organic Food”). As a result of these findings there was a dramatic increase of the sales for organic food (“Organic Food”). Another study found that Atrazine (one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States) has the potential of being carcinogenic and reducing sperm counts in males (“Organic Food”). This was further proven when evidence was found that chemicals u...
Huge amounts of food are wasted every year due to which are attacked by toxic fungi or contaminated by fungal metabolic products. Such waste occurs most significantly in hotter countries where food shortages may already be a problem. One estimate (CAST, 2003) is that Mycotoxins affect a quarter of the world’s food crops, Including many basics food stuffs and animal feeds as well as crops. Mycotoxins are toxic chemical products formed by fungi that can grow on crops in the field or after harvest and the food that can be affected including cereals, nuts and dried fruits; coffee coco spices oilseeds and milk
[5] Axelson, O.. "The epidemiologic evidence of health effects of tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD) in human beings." Chemistry, Man and Environment 1 (1999): 29-38.
Acute toxicity of pesticides can cause lethal effects after one episode of ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact. Some effects of acute toxicity are respiratory tract irritation, sore throat and/or cough, allergic sensitisation, eye and skin irritation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, loss of consciousness, extreme weakness, seizures, and/or death. Next, many people have eaten foods and drank water possibly contaminated with pesticides their entire lives. Some long term, or chronic effects of pesticides, or repeated exposure to small amounts of pesticides include, Parkinson’s disease, asthma, depression, anxiety, Cancer (including leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma). Pesticides can even cause neurological health effects, including memory loss, loss of coordination, reduced visual ability, and reduced motor skills. One may argue that not all pesticides pose risks to human health, and that not all foods are contaminated with pesticides. Although not all foods are contaminated with pesticides, many
In this reference work by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Community Outreach & Education Program, I gathered information mostly about pesticides used in conventional farming techniques. With their concentration on pesticides the EHP gave information about the different effects of pesticides on organic and conventional foods. Providing even more details on different types of pesticides and which ones are allowed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This article informs us on the effects of the USFDA approved pesticides that are used by the conventional farmers in detail. One point that was raised by this article was about how organic foods not really healthier, but by not having the pesticide residue that is common with conventional farming methods made it less harmful on our bodies. I was able to see clearly with all the tables that they provided with just how much was a safe level of pesticide and exactly what we consume with common foods. With this article being a teaching tool for science education it gave me assurance of the credibility of the author of this reference work.
The food industry nowadays includes injected fruits and artificial meat. In this industrialized era we live in today, we’ve found many ways to produce items faster, regenerate products to make them bigger and taste better, and this is all done using chemicals or under unsanitary environments. Not only are we ruining the nutrition of the product and putting consumer’s health at risk, we are also stressing the environment. Factory farming is a well-known issue to many, we are all educated about the problems in our food industry in relations to fast food; however, many people fail to realize that even most items in a regular supermarket and even some organic markets are produced under unsustainable or contaminated means. The question is, how does one decipher whether or not their item is produced in a safe and healthy environment? Simply looking, smelling, or even tasting a product does not allow you to do so.
There are 2.5 billion pounds of pesticides being applied to agricultural products each year in the United States. This is ten times more than was applied forty years ago. It is still unknown as to what type of exact effects these chemicals may have on individuals. Some farmers that have been using pesticides in their fields and developed leukemia are finding that the cause of their disease is from inhaling pesticides. These chemicals are still in use today and most of them have never been tested for the short or long-term effects that they may have on humans.
This report will cover several aspect of food safety in the airline industry. The report will also di...