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Dust entry

Respirable peanut dust

Respirable dust generated during peanut handling and shelling, with aflatoxin risk dependent on contaminated peanut lots.

Airborne form

dust

The form describes what is suspended in air at the point of exposure. A material can produce more than one form, such as dust during handling and fume during heating.

Health effects

aflatoxin exposure concernrespirable particulate exposure

Evidence

A NIOSH-indexed study measured respirable peanut dust concentrations from 10.5 to 65.1 mg/m3 and airborne aflatoxin-B1 up to 7.6 ng/m3. Aflatoxin content tracked contamination of bulk peanuts; no aflatoxin was found in dust from uncontaminated peanuts. The authors concluded that most contaminated dust was removed before shelling and that the processing air studied was not hazardous.

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Abstract · 1
Dust concentrations ranged from 10.5 to 65.1 milligrams per cubic meter, and airborne aflatoxin-B1 concentrations reached a maximum of 7.6 nanograms per cubic meter. ... No aflatoxin was found in the dust from uncontaminated peanuts. ... The authors conclude that most of the contaminated dust is removed before shelling. Hence, the air in the peanut processing area is not hazardous.

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