Aflatoxin Exposure and Human Health with a Focus on Northern Latin America
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Regulatory Limits on Aflatoxins
3. Evaluating Aflatoxin Exposure
4. Maize Consumption as a Vehicle for Aflatoxin Exposure
5. Health Burden of Aflatoxin Exposure in Latin America
6. Toolkit of Interventions to Tackle Aflatoxin Exposure in Latin America
7. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Contaminated Food Consumption Level per Day (g) | Total Aflatoxins Regulatory Limits (ppb) | Estimated Aflatoxin Intake (ug) |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 4 | 0.10 |
| 10 | 0.25 | |
| 15 | 0.38 | |
| 20 | 0.50 | |
| 50 | 4 | 0.20 |
| 10 | 0.50 | |
| 15 | 0.75 | |
| 20 | 1.00 | |
| 100 | 4 | 0.40 |
| 10 | 1.00 | |
| 15 | 1.50 | |
| 20 | 2.00 | |
| 250 | 4 | 1.00 |
| 10 | 2.50 | |
| 15 | 3.75 | |
| 20 | 5.00 | |
| 350 | 4 | 1.40 |
| 10 | 3.50 | |
| 15 | 5.25 | |
| 20 | 7.00 |
| Country | Year | Details | n | Aflatoxin (SD) | 95% CI | Min. | Max. | %ND * | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | 2008–2011 | Preg. women 1st trimester | 63 | 0.35 (0.22) | (0.29, 0.41) | ND | 1.14 | 6.4 | [18,19,20] |
| Preg. women 3rd trimester | 63 | 0.48 (0.25) | (0.42, 0.55) | ND | 1.31 | 1.6 | |||
| Cord blood | 63 | 0.51 (0.27) | (0.44, 0.57) | 0.08 | 1.38 | 0 | |||
| Child 24 mos. | 63 | 0.37 (0.30) | (0.30, 0.45) | ND | 1.47 | 1.6 | |||
| China | 1982 | Guangxi | 76 | 4.01 (8.30) | (2.11, 5.91) | 0.17 | 44.38 | 0 | [17,21] |
| 1983 | Fusui | 31 | 1.55 (1.40) | (1.04, 2.06) | ND | 5.66 | 3.2 | ||
| 1989 | Qidong | 74 | 1.20 (0.88) | (1.00, 1.40) | 0.11 | 4.66 | 0 | ||
| 1995 | Qidong | 100 | 0.33 (0.52) | (0.22, 0.43) | ND | 3.79 | 2 | ||
| 1999 | Qidong | 100 | 0.20 (0.19) | (0.16, 0.23) | ND | 1.12 | 8 | ||
| 2003 | Qidong | 100 | 0.10 (0.12) | (0.08, 0.13) | ND | 0.6 | 24 | ||
| 2009 | Qidong | 100 | 0.06 (0.14) | (0.03, 0.09) | ND | 0.81 | 77 | ||
| 2012 | Qidong | 100 | 0.01 (0.02) | (0.01, 0.02) | ND | 0.16 | 92 | ||
| Guatemala | 2015 | Cirrhosis cases | 99 | 1.18 (1.54) | (0.87, 1.49) | ND | 9.52 | 1 | [22] |
| Controls | 200 | 0.67 (1.11) | (0.52, 0.83) | 0.03 | 7.62 | 0 | |||
| 2016 | Escuintla | 93 | 7.73 (12.82) | (5.09, 10.37) | ND | 87.38 | 4.3 | [23,24] | |
| Mixco | 60 | 1.50 (2.06) | (0.97, 2.03) | 0.06 | 11.57 | 0 | |||
| Sololá | 60 | 1.97 (3.13) | (1.16, 2.78) | 0.18 | 23.51 | 0 | |||
| Suchitepéquez | 82 | 2.02 (2.43) | (1.49, 2.56) | 0.09 | 16.12 | 0 | |||
| Quiche | 101 | 1.33 (4.93) | (0.36, 2.31) | ND | 45.2 | 1 | |||
| Kenya | 2005 | Aflatoxicosis outbreak | 55 | 91.1 (201.42) | (36.65, 145.55) | 1.11 | 981.1 | 0 | [25,26] |
| 2015–2016 | Women baseline | 120 | 1.93 (1.95) | (1.58, 2.29) | 0.13 | 10.61 | 0 | [27,28] | |
| Women 12-mo. follow-up | 115 | 1.55 (1.62) | (1.25, 1.85) | 0.14 | 11.93 | 0 | |||
| Malawi | 2011–2015 | Preg. women baseline | 255 | 1.04 (1.43) | (0.87, 1.22) | ND | 15.57 | 4.7 | [18] |
| Preg. women GA 36 wks. | 255 | 1.20 (1.77) | (0.98, 1.41) | ND | 10.73 | 4.7 | |||
| Women 6 mos. postpartum | 230 | 1.86 (3.31) | (1.43, 2.29) | 0.04 | 25.04 | 0 | |||
| Infant 6 mos. old | 230 | 0.41 (1.00) | (0.28, 0.54) | ND | 8.53 | 43.5 | |||
| Infant 18 mos. old | 231 | 1.49 (4.98) | (0.85, 2.14) | ND | 69.28 | 8.7 | |||
| Mexico | 2018–2019 | South and eastern Mexico | 855 | 1.03 (3.77) | (0.78, 1.28) | 0.01 | 76.23 | 0 | [29,30] |
| Tanzania | 2018 | Haydom (rural) | 545 | 1.76 (3.00) | (1.51, 2.02) | ND | 42.98 | 0.2 | [31,32] |
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Corleto, K.A.; Alvarez, C.S.; Ramirez-Zea, M.; Groopman, J.D.; McGlynn, K.A. Aflatoxin Exposure and Human Health with a Focus on Northern Latin America. Toxins 2026, 18, 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins18010058
Corleto KA, Alvarez CS, Ramirez-Zea M, Groopman JD, McGlynn KA. Aflatoxin Exposure and Human Health with a Focus on Northern Latin America. Toxins. 2026; 18(1):58. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins18010058
Chicago/Turabian StyleCorleto, Karen A., Christian S. Alvarez, Manuel Ramirez-Zea, John D. Groopman, and Katherine A. McGlynn. 2026. "Aflatoxin Exposure and Human Health with a Focus on Northern Latin America" Toxins 18, no. 1: 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins18010058
APA StyleCorleto, K. A., Alvarez, C. S., Ramirez-Zea, M., Groopman, J. D., & McGlynn, K. A. (2026). Aflatoxin Exposure and Human Health with a Focus on Northern Latin America. Toxins, 18(1), 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins18010058

