Estimation of Urinary Concentration of Aflatoxin M1 in Chinese Pregnant Women

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM(1)) is a main cause of hepatocarcenogenoma in Chinese population. Measurement of aflatoxin exposure in human may help in providing clear evidence for the exposure of specific environmental pollutants in certain population. One child policy in China offered parents more careful to choose safe food during pregnancy, but no reports published on the efficacy of their endeavor. In present study, we aimed to assess the exposure of AFM(1) in Chinese pregnant women. The urine samples were collected from 600 volunteers from Zhejiang province, China and the urinary concentration of AFM(1) was measured using ELISA kit. AFM(1) was detected in 84% of the pregnant women. The geometric mean and 95th percentile concentration of AFM(1) in pregnant women were 50.3 ng/L and 633.5 ng/L, respectively. Our results point out that pregnant women especially are at the high risk of exposure to AFM(1). Our results also indicate that although one child policy offered parents to pay more attention for the selection of safe food, but detection of AFM(1) in urine of pregnant women indicate that more foods containing AFM(1) still need to be detected. Highest exposure of AFM(1) in pregnant women indicates that awareness campaigns must be started especially in the rural areas of China regarding the possible hazardous effects of AFM(1) exposure in pregnant women.