Mycotoxins Exposure of French Grain Elevator Workers: Biomonitoring and Airborne Measurements

Abstract

It is now recognized that additional exposure to mycotoxins may occur through inhalation of contaminated dust at a workplace. The aim of this study was to characterize the multi-mycotoxin exposure of French grain elevator workers using biomonitoring and airborne measurements. Eighteen workers participated in the study. Personal airborne dust samples were analyzed for their mycotoxin concentrations. Workers provided multiple urine samples including pre-shift, post-shift and first morning urine samples or 24 h urine samples. Mycotoxin urinary biomarkers (aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin M1, ochratoxin A, ochratoxin α, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, fumonisin B1, HT-2 toxin and T-2 toxin) were measured using a liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry method. Grain elevator workers were highly exposed to organic airborne dust (median 4.92 mg.m−3). DON, ZEN and FB1 were frequent contaminants in 54, 76 and 72% of air samples, respectively. The mycotoxin biomarkers quantified were DON (98%), ZEN (99%), α-ZEL (52%), β-ZEL (33%), OTA (76%), T-2 (4%) and HT-2 (4%). DON elimination profiles showed highest concentrations in samples collected after the end of the work shift and the urinary DON concentrations were significantly higher in post-shift than in pre-shift-samples (9.9 and 22.1 µg/L, respectively). ZEN and its metabolites concentrations did not vary according to the sampling time. However, the levels of α-/β-ZEL were consistent with an additional occupational exposure. These data provide valuable information on grain worker exposure to mycotoxins. They also highlight the usefulness of multi-mycotoxin methods in assessing external and internal exposures, which shed light on the extent and pathways of exposure occurring in occupational settings.

Analysis of Mycotoxins and Cytotoxicity of Airborne Molds Isolated from the Zoological Garden—Screening Research

“…They are, therefore, considered critical for worker exposure to airborne fungi. The main sources of information on occupational exposures to airborne mycotoxins are studies in settings related to livestock and animal production [ 39 , 40 , 41 ], farming [ 19 , 42 ], and waste and sewage treatment plants [ 43 , 44 , 45 ]. However, studies of mycotoxin exposure in this area have been relatively scarce.…”

Exposure to airborne mycotoxins: the riskiest working environments and tasks

“…Personal air pumps equipped with inhalable fraction selectors (IOM or CIP 10) are frequently used as they allow to evaluate tasks-based exposure during a full working day ( Ferri et al 2017 ; Karamkhani et al 2020 ; Schlosser et al 2020 ; Viegas et al 2020b ; Ndaw et al 2021a ; b ).…”

“…It is increasingly common to use passive and active-collection methods simultaneously as they provide different information: active air samples reflect the load of a shorter period corresponding to the sampling time (mostly minutes) while passive methods allow the collection of contamination over a longer period (days, weeks or months). For this reason, many authors suggest using both approaches to ensure a more accurate and realistic risk characterization ( Viegas et al 2020b , 2022 ; Ndaw et al 2021b ).…”

“…Among the different analytical techniques that of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled with various detectors such as UV-VIS, MS and MS/MS is the most common. The use of HPLC coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (Liquid chromatography-mass Spectrometry, HPLC-MS/MS) results in increased sensitivity, selectivity and ease of detection of multiple toxins in a single step, becoming the dominant instrumentation for mycotoxin analysis in recent years ( Straumfors et al 2015b ; Castillo et al 2016 ; Niculita-Hirzel et al 2016 ; Skóra et al 2016 ; Heutte et al 2017 ; Schlosser et al 2020 ; Szulc et al 2021 , 2022 ; Ndaw et al 2021a ; b ).…”

“…The above results have been confirmed by the urinary DON concentrations that were significantly higher in post-shift than in pre-shift samples (22.1 and 9.9 μg/L respectively). The authors highlighted the usefulness of multi-mycotoxin methods in assessing external and internal exposures which shed light on the extent and pathways of exposure occurring in occupational settings ( Ndaw et al 2021b ).…”