Aflatoxins are Fungal metabolites commonly found as Toxic contaminants of food growing under conductions of high temperature and high relative humidity and contain a group of highly toxic secondary mould metabolites which have been, identified as potent hepatocarcinogens. The present study was aimed to estimate urine level of Aflatoxin B1 in school children of different socioeconomic standards. For this purpore, 100 of apparently healthy school children were cnrolled in this study, 54 females (28 from low socioeconomic standard level and 26 from high socioeconomic standard level) and 46 males (21 from low socioeconomic standard and 25 from high socioeconomic standard level), the age of the study group ranging from 6-16 years divided into 2 groups, less than 9 years (27) and more than 9 years (73), urine sample were submitted To extraction then clean up using column chromatography followed by drivatization and HPLC determination of Aflatoxin B1.
Results: Total number of contaminated samples was 36 with a percent of contamination of 36%. In the female group it was 31.4%while in the male group it was 41.3 % which was higher. From socioeconomic standard groups respectively. In the group less than 9 years, percent of contamination was 29.6 % while it was38.4 % in the group more than 9 years. So percent of contamination increase in males than females, in low socioeconomic standard than high and in the age group more than 9 years. This study can conclude than school age children in Egypt in under potential risk of exposure to AFB1 which threaten their liver health status by away or the other, the extent of the problem in not well defined but the hazards are many.
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