IARC MONOGRAPHS ON THE EVALUATION OF CARCINOGENIC ...

AFLATOXINS 191
(a) Estimates of aflatoxin M1 intake using GEMS (Global Environment
Monitoring System)/Food Regional Diets
The GEMS/Food Regional Diets (WHO, 1998) are tables of dietary intakes of food
commodities for five geographical areas. The major food class responsible for aflatoxin
M1 intake was identified as milk. The term ‘milk’ was assumed to include the mammalian
milks (buffalo, camel, cattle, goat and sheep) listed in the GEMS/Food Regional Diets,
but not to include cheese, butter or other dairy products derived from milk. In Table 8,
exposure to aflatoxin M1 from milk was calculated using three concentrations for the five
geographical areas. [The use of dietary data to estimate mycotoxin intake can be misleading.
Local climatic and other factors can greatly influence levels of mycotoxins in
foods.] The first concentration was 0.05 μg/kg (the proposed maximum limit), the second
was 0.5 μg/kg (the current maximum limit) and the third was the weighted mean of values
for the geographical area. The use of 0.5 μg/kg as the level of aflatoxin M1 in milk probably
encompasses most of the milk samples and overestimates exposure. JECFA (2001)
Table 8. Estimated potential daily exposure to aflatoxin M1 from all
milks in five regional diets
Region/exposure Aflatoxin M 1 in
milk (μg/kg)
Europe/USA/Canada (0.294 kg milk/day)
Proposed ML 0.05 14.7 a
Current ML 0.5 147.0 a
Weighted mean
Latin America (0.160 kg milk/day)
0.023 6.8
Proposed ML 0.05 8.0 a
Current ML 0.5 80.0 a
Weighted mean
Far East (0.032 kg milk/day)
0.022 3.5
Proposed ML 0.05 1.6 a
Current ML 0.5 16.0 a
Weighted mean
Middle East (0.116 kg milk/day)
0.36 12
Proposed ML 0.05 5.8 a
Current ML 0.5 58.0 a
Weighted mean
Africa (0.042 kg milk/day)
0.005 0.6
Proposed ML 0.05 2.9 a
Current ML 0.5 20.9 a
Weighted mean 0.002 0.1
From JECFA (2001)
ML, maximum level
a Calculated by the Working Group
Aflatoxin M 1 intake
(ng/person/day)