Risk assessment and risk management of
mycotoxins in food
T. Kuiper-Goodman, Bureau of Chemical Safety, Health Products
and Food Branch, Health Canada
1.1 Introduction to risk assessment of mycotoxins
Many cereal and other crops are susceptible to fungal attack either in the field or
during storage. These fungi may produce as secondary metabolites a diverse group
of chemical substances known as mycotoxins. There can be wide year to year
fluctuations in the levels of mycotoxins in foods, depending on many factors, such
as adverse conditions favouring fungal invasion and growth. Many mycotoxins
were initially identified after they had caused a variety of subacute health problems
in livestock as well as humans, with many target organs and systems affected. With
modern farming, storage and processing practices, the aim is to reduce obvious
contamination, and much of our concern now focuses on chronic effects at low
levels of exposure. In this regard, several mycotoxins are potent animal
carcinogens and have been classified by the International Agency for Research in
Cancer (IARC, 1993) as human carcinogens or potential (probable and possible)
human carcinogens.
Although there are geographic and climatic differences in the production and
occurrence of mycotoxins, exposure to these substances is worldwide, with much
of the world food supply contaminated to some extent. Monitoring for the presence
of mycotoxins is therefore needed. From time to time the presence of mycotoxins
may render food commodities unsafe, requiring a variety of measures to reduce
risk. As these toxicants can never be completely removed from the food supply,
4 Mycotoxins in food
many countries have defined levels in food (tolerances, guideline levels, maximum
residue levels) that are unlikely to be of health concern. Initially, the lack of a
unified and transparent approach resulted in a wide range of guidelines/regulations
regarding mycotoxins among various countries (Stoloff et al., 1991).

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