Aflatoxins [AFs] are secondary metabolites of the fungus species Aspergillus spp. Both animal and epidemiological studies provided sufficient evidence on the carcinogenic, immunotoxic, mutagenic, and genotoxic potential of AFs. While ingestion is the main route of exposure for AFs through consumption of contaminated food products, agricultural workers and personnel who handle AF-contaminated grains are also at higher risk of exposure via inhalation. The main objective of the review is to provide a comprehensive overview of past scientific studies on occupational exposure to AFs, high-risk occupations, and disease outcomes. A search of peer-reviewed articles was done on PubMed and Web of Science Databases. A total of 164 papers was identified and 61 journal articles were selected for further review. High risk occupations include animal husbandry and processing of grain cereals and/or animal feed. Primary liver cancer and respiratory cancers were the most reported as a result of occupational exposure to AFs. For future studies, improved study designs, better characterization of AFs exposure in an occupational setting, and use of biomarkers are recommended in order to promote better understanding of occupational exposure to AFs and the resulting disease burden among workers.

中文翻译：

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职业性接触黄曲霉毒素和健康结果的评价。

黄曲霉毒素[AFs]是真菌物种曲霉属的次生代谢产物。动物和流行病学研究均提供了有关AF致癌，免疫毒性，诱变和遗传毒性潜力的充分证据。摄入是通过食用受污染的食品而引起的AF暴露的主要途径，但处理受AF污染的谷物的农业工人和人员也有更高的吸入风险。审查的主要目的是全面概述过去有关房颤，高风险职业和疾病后果的职业暴露的科学研究。在PubMed和Web of Science数据库上搜索了同行评审的文章。总共鉴定了164篇论文，并选择了61种期刊文章进行进一步审阅。高风险职业包括畜牧业和谷物谷物和/或动物饲料的加工。原发性肝癌和呼吸道癌是由于职业性暴露于房颤而引起的。对于以后的研究，建议改进研究设计，在职业环境中更好地表征AF暴露，并使用生物标记物，以增进对AF的职业暴露及其在工人中导致的疾病负担的了解。