How a crop containment, aflatoxin, is wreaking global havoc
An unlikely threat is pummeling East Africa. Journalists have ascribed a $670 million revenue loss to the crisis in Africa alone, and one health official declared that “the urgency of [the] situation cannot be overstated due to its profound impact on public health.” The insidious malefactor is neither COVID-19 nor malaria but aflatoxin, a carcinogen produced by food mold.
Before instigating trading wars, among other consequences, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) — the most common and pernicious of the aflatoxin class — was initially recognized as the precipitator of Turkey X disease in 1960. The condition wiped out 100,000 English turkeys fed moldy food from Brazil — an integral clue in assessing contamination risk factors. According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), aflatoxin exposure is more probable when contaminated food is transported in warm, humid conditions, improperly stored, or subject to insect damage. Astonishingly, the toxin is not inherently dangerous until metabolized. Upon ingestion, microsomal mixed-function oxidase (MFO) enzymes break it down in the liver to create Aflatoxin B1, 8,9 epoxide. The new byproduct creates dire reverberations, including a weakened immune system, liver cirrhosis, cancer-causing DNA mutations and death.
Ultimately, the severity of aflatoxin exposure is dependent on the exposure amounts. Acute, or rapid onset, aflatoxicosis can cause myriad symptoms but is only triggered by substantial aflatoxin consumption. Furthermore, exposure to trace amounts of aflatoxin may be inevitable if not standard. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) affirmed, “20 parts of aflatoxin per billion is safe.”
Nevertheless, communities worldwide – particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa — endure medical and economic onslaughts from the antigen. Studies imply that over 40% of patients battling aflatoxin-induced liver cancer are from the continent. The concoction of shoddy food regulations, inept policymakers, dilapidated healthcare systems and other comorbidities has established a breeding ground for very little change, yet far more suffering for rural people. Not only does aflatoxin eliminate 25% of food every year, but in some regions, planters are losing out as fearful countries establish impasses at borders and block trade. The situations are further pile-ons to COVID-19 losses.
For the fatalistic, there are growing initiatives to mitigate aflatoxin exposure. Member States of the East African Community (EAC) now have consistent food regulations; scientists are rolling out new technology to detect aflatoxin; moreover, officials propose incentivizing mindful agricultural practices for farmers. Ghana, where aflatoxin levels of 50 ppb are commonplace, reimburses its farmers for using Aflasafe – a promising biocontrol against the said toxin.