Biomonitoring of ochratoxin A in grain workers |
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Authors: | G H Degen S Mayer M Blaszkewicz |
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Institution: | (1) Institute for Occupational Physiology at the University of Dortmund (IfADo, Ardeystr. 67, 44139 Dortmund, Germany;(2) Employers’ Liability Insurance Association (Groβhandels- und Lagerei Berufsgenossenschaft, Dept. of prevention, M5, 7, 68161 Mannheim, Germany;(3) Institute for Occupational Physiology at the University of Dortmund (IfADo, Ardeystr. 67, 44139 Dortmund, Germany |
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Abstract: | Handling agricultural commodities such as grain can result in an inhalation of mycotoxin-containing dusts. Ochratoxin A (OTA)
is particularly well suited for biomonitoring studies due to its long half-life in blood, and served as a marker toxin to
investigate whether or not exposure to dusts in occupational contexts may result in elevated OTA blood serum levels. OTA analysis
was performed for blood samples (n=61) obtained from a cohort of male workers employed at granaries of several grain handling
companies in Germany. OTA was analyzed in plasma extracts by HPLC with fluorimetric detection; calibration curves were run
for each batch of samples collected between July 2005 and March 2006, and the level of detection was 0.05 ng/ml plasma. The
OTA plasma levels of the 61 grain workers ranged between 0.07 ng/ml and 0.75 ng/ml. The mean (0.28±0.13 ng/ml) and median
(0.26 ng/ml) OTA value for this cohort was similar to average values previously reported for the German population. Our results
gave no indication that OTA in excess of those originating from typical dietary sources was ingested by these workers. Although
measurable OTA concentrations have been found in dust samples collected at the corresponding workplaces (Mayeret al, this issue), the biomonitoring data do not provide evidence for a significant inhalatory burden of OTA in grain workers.
Since deoxynivalenol and zearalenone were also detected in the dust samples in concentrations much higher than that of OTA,
additional research should try to assess the potential relevance of an inhalation exposure to these mycotoxins.
Presented at the 28th Mykotoxin-Workshop, Bydgoszcz, Poland, May 29–31, 2006 |
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Keywords: | biomonitoring blood analysis dust inhalation mycotoxin ochratoxin A |
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