Aflatoxin M₁ Analysis in Urine of Mill Workers in Bangladesh: A Pilot Study

Presence of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) in food and feed is a serious problem, especially in developing countries. Human exposure to this carcinogenic mycotoxin can occur through dietary intake, but also through inhalation or dermal contact when handling and processing AFB₁-contaminated crops. A suitable biomarker of AFB₁ exposure by all routes is the occurrence of its hydroxylated metabolite aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) in urine. To assess mycotoxin exposure in mill workers in Bangladesh, we analyzed AFM₁ levels in urine samples of this population group who may encounter both dietary and occupational AFB₁ exposure. In this pilot study, a total of 76 participants (51 mill workers and 25 controls) were enrolled from the Sylhet region of Bangladesh. Urine samples were collected from people who worked in rice, wheat, maize and spice mills and from controls with no occupational contact to these materials. A questionnaire was used to collect information on basic characteristics and normal food habits of all participants. Levels of AFM₁ in the urine samples were determined by a competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. AFM₁ was detected in 96.1% of mill workers' urine samples with a range of LOD (40) of 217.7 pg/mL and also in 92% of control subject's urine samples with a range of LOD of 307.0 pg/mL). The mean level of AFM₁ in mill workers' urine (106.5 ± 35.0 pg/mL) was slightly lower than that of the control group (123.3 ± 52.4 pg/mL), whilst the mean AFM₁ urinary level adjusted for creatinine was higher in mill workers (142.1 ± 126.1 pg/mg crea) than in the control group (98.5 ± 71.2 pg/mg crea). Yet, these differences in biomarker levels were not statistically significant. Slightly different mean urinary AFM₁ levels were observed between maize mill, spice mill, rice mill, and wheat mill workers, yet biomarker values are based on a small number of individuals in these subgroups. No significant correlations were found between the study subjects' urine AFM₁ levels and their consumption of some staple food items, except for a significant correlation observed between urinary biomarker levels and consumption of groundnuts. In conclusion, this pilot study revealed the frequent presence of AFM₁ in the urine of mill workers in Bangladesh and those of concurrent controls with dietary AFB₁ exposure only. The absence of a statistical difference in mean biomarker levels for workers and controls suggests that in the specific setting, no extra occupational exposure occurred. Yet, the high prevalence of non-negligible AFM₁ levels in the collected urines encourage further studies in Bangladesh regarding aflatoxin exposure.