M.I.
Selim, W.J.
Popendorf and A.M. Juchems
NIOSH Education and Information Division
A combination
of traditional and new supercritical fluid extraction (SFE)
methods were used for the analysis of aflatoxin B1
in grain dust collected during field harvesting, grain unloading,
bin clean out, and animal feeding operations. Bulk corn samples
were also collected for comparison of their aflatoxin B1
with the airborne concentrations. The highest airborne concentration
of aflatoxin B1 found in dust collected during
harvest and rain unloading were 67 and 92 ng/m3,
respectively. Higher levels of aflatoxin B1 were
found In the airborne dust samples collected from enclosed
animal feeding buildings (421 ng/m3) and during
clean out (4849 ng/m3). Aflatoxin B1
up to 5,100 ppb were detected in settled dust collected from
enclosed animal feeding building.
Size
specific sampling and analysis were conducted only during
grain bin clean out operations. The average mass median aerodynamic
diameter of collected dust was 9.5 µm, The highest average
concentration of aflatoxin B1 was found on dust
particles <= 1 µm in diameter (160 ppm) versus particles
>= 7 µm in diameter (6.5 ppm). However, the predominance
of larger particles in this environment causes the majority
of the aflatoxin concentration to be on particles >= 7 µm.
The
data demonstrate that farmers and farm workers may be exposed
to potentially hazardous concentrations of aflatoxin B1,
particularly during bin clean out and animal feeding in enclosed
buildings.
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NASD Review: 04/2002
This
research abstract was extracted from a portion of the proceedings
of "Agricultural Safety and Health: Detection, Prevention and
Intervention," a conference presented by the Ohio State University
and the Ohio Department of Health, sponsored by the Centers
for Disease Control/National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health.
The
authors noted above are from: All from the Institute of Agricultural
Medicine & Occupational Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City,
IA.
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