Occupational exposure to mould and microbial metabolites during onion sorting—insights into an overlooked workplace

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2016-03, Vol.188 (3), p.154, Article 154
• Main Authors: Mayer, Stefan, Twarużek, Magdalena, Błajet-Kosicka, Anna, Grajewski, Jan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air Microbiology; Air Pollution, Indoor - statistics & numerical data; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; bioaerosols; Chromatography, Liquid; Cytotoxicity; deoxynivalenol; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental Monitoring; Food Industry - statistics & numerical data; fumonisin B1; fumonisin B2; Fumonisins; Fungi; Fungi - classification; Fungi - growth & development; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Humans; Ionization; Liquid chromatography; Mass spectrometry; Metabolites; Microscopy; Mold; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Mycotoxins; Mycotoxins - analysis; occupational exposure; Occupational Exposure - analysis; Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Onions; risk; Risk assessment; Tandem Mass Spectrometry - methods; Trichothecenes; Vegetables; working conditions; Workplace
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-016-5150-5

Manual sorting of onions is known to be associated with a bioaerosol exposure. The study aimed to gain an initial indication as to what extent manual sorting of onions is also associated with mycotoxin exposure. Twelve representative samples of outer onion skins from different onion origins were sampled and analyzed with a multimycotoxin method comprising 40 mycotoxins using a single extraction step followed by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Six of the 12 samples were positive for mycotoxins. In those samples, deoxynivalenol, fumonisin B₁, and B₂ were observed in quantitatively detectable amounts of 3940 ng/g for fumonisin B₁ and in the range of 126–587 ng/g for deoxynivalenol and 55–554 ng/g for fumonisin B₂. Although the results point to a lower risk due to mycotoxins, the risk should not be completely neglected and has to be considered in the risk assessment.