Contamination of Fungi and Mycotoxins in Foodstuffs in High Risk Area of Esophageal Cancer

Fungal and mycotoxin contamination has been found in fordstuffs from Cixian County, an area with a high incidence of esophageal carcinoma (Eca). To set a scientific foundation for the prevention of Eca at the etiological level, fungal and mycotoxin contaminations of local foodstuffs in Cixian County were analyzed using classical fungal culture methods and HPLC. From 1990 to 1994, 220 corn/wheat samples and 34 corn samples were studied. As a control, 26 corn samples collected from a relatively low incidence area of Eca in Zanhuang County were analyzed for mycotoxins in 1990. The results showed that fungal contamination in corn and wheat was severe and that several of the predominant contaminating fungi such as Furasium moniliforme, etc. were carcinogenic. HPLC results showed that the detection rate and mean content of the mycotoxin sterigmatocystin (ST) in the mountainous area (5/8; 9. 14 μg/kg) were significantly higher than those in the hilly (0; 0) and plain areas (1/18; 1. 29 μg/kg) as well as in low risk area control samples (3/26; 0. 76 μg/kg). Detection rates of deoxynivalenol (DON) in mountainous and hilly areas (5/8, 4/8 respectively) were slightly higher than that in plain area (8/18), while the mean content of DON in the plain area was significantly higher (90. 45-170. 22 vs 50. 56 and 46. 45 μg/kg).Among the different aflatoxins, AFB1 was detected in samples from the two villages in the plain area for the subsequent two years. The mean content of AFB1 was 0. 0183μg/kg, and the highest level was 0. 0497 μg/kg. No AFB1 was detected in the samples from mountainous and hilly areas. AFG1 was detected in more than half of all the samples, and its concentration ranged from 8. 77 to 46. 51 ng/kg. No AFG2 was found in the samples. Thus, the results suggest that at present, fungal and mycotoxin contamination of foodstuffs in Cixian County are quite common.

Synthesis, characterization, and property test of crystalline polyferric sulfate adsorbent used in treatment of contaminated water with a high As(Ⅲ) content

A crystalline polyferric sulfate(PFS) adsorbent was synthesized by oxidizing and precipitating ferrous ions in air atmospheric conditions. The morphology, structure, specific surface area(SSA), and adsorptive efficacy of the adsorbent to As(Ⅲ) were characterized by scanning electron microscope(SEM) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) images, X-ray diffraction(XRD) patterns, Fourier-transform infrared(FTIR) spectra, BET SSA analyses, and adsorption experiments. The adsorbent showed a near-spherical aggregate structure and had good crystallinity. A significant amount of α-goethite co-precipitated with PFS in the case of the initial ferrous concentration of 1 mol/L and increased SSA of the adsorbent. The stability region of ferric compounds in the process was drawn and applied to analyze the iron behavior during the synthesis. The adsorption of As(Ⅲ) in high As(Ⅲ)-containing solutions fitted the Langmuir isotherm model adequately. The absorbent with co-precipitation of α-goethite showed good adsorbability for As(Ⅲ) and good filtering performance in the high As(Ⅲ)-containing solution of 10–100 mg/L under acidic, neutral, and alkaline conditions(pH 2.09–9.01). After the adsorption process, the stability of the residues bearing As(Ⅲ) was evaluated by toxic characteristic leaching procedure(TCLP) tests. The results indicated that the residues were extremely stable, and the concentrations of arsenic in the leaching solutions were less than 0.01 mg/L.