Mold & Liver Problems

Molds can produce serious illnesses, some of which target the liver. While molds play a helpful role in nature by breaking down dead biological matter, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that the spores these molds release into the air for reproduction can carry deadly toxins. One of the deadliest, aflotoxin B1, can damage the liver or even lead to liver cancer.

Varieties

• According to the EPA, the molds that most directly affect liver function include aspergillus parasiticus and aspergillus flavus. Both of these molds produce a mycotoxin, a type of toxic substance, called aflatoxin B1. Alfatoxin B1 represents one the the most dangerous cancer threats of any known substance.This powerful carcinogen can causes liver cancer or contribute to chronic or acute damage to the liver if a person inhales or ingests it.

Infiltration Methods

• The molds that yield aflotxin B1 generally do not appear on household surfaces as other molds often do. Instead, the aspergillus flavus and aspergillus parasiticus strains tend to contaminate food products such as peanuts, grains and animal feed. Even so, spores from these molds could still enter the atmosphere of a home or commercial building through ventilation connected to the contaminated food storage areas. Cornell University adds that animals infested with aflatoxins can pass the contamination to humans through their meat, eggs or milk.

Effects

• Researchers have spent more time studying aflatoxins than any other mycotoxin because of their danger as a known carcinogen and their effects on the livers of livestock and humans. According to Cornell University, animals that experience aflatoxicosis, or aflatoxin poisoning, display the jaundice characteristic of liver disease as well as other gastrointestinal problems, and their livers develop cancerous tumors. Humans who consume these animals can also develop aflatoxicosis, experiencing fat buildup in the liver and other organs with symptoms that include abdominal pain, vomiting, coma and eventual death.

Detection

• Mycotoxins, including the aflatoxins that cause liver problems, can prove difficult to detect because they usually occur in uneven quantities within a given food supply, according to the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Crop damages, changes in food production methods, the time of year, weather patterns and other variables can all influence when, where or even whether a mycotoxin will develop on a food product. Inspectors use ultraviolet light to scan foodstuffs for the presence of mycotoxins, checking and re-checking to confirm any positive results.

Preventative Strategies

• Cornell University states that the food production industry cannot completely prevent aflatoxin contamination, but researchers might develop methods of detoxifying contaminated foods. One such method involves the addition of certain chemicals such as sodium bisulfite, which renders aflatoxins water soluble under the right conditions. Some dietary additives such as antibiotics and preservatives may also reduce the toxicity of aflatoxins. A class of chemicals called chemisorbents, which bind to aflatoxins to make them inert in the digestive system, could also help prevent mold-induced liver damage.