Produced by a mold that grows on peanuts, corn and cotton seeds, aflatoxin has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals and is considered carcinogenic to humans. Peanuts that have aspergillus, the mold that produces the toxin, can't be sold for human consumption. Instead, they are sold cheap to make peanut oil or to provide seeds for future crops. Experts believe rain in September, along with new inspection procedures, minimized problems. For the first time ever, growers who failed their initial inspection were allowed to clean up their peanuts and have them reinspected.
Aflatoxin is one of several naturally occurring toxins that have potential as biological weapons.
Others include the bacteria that cause anthrax and botulism. The peanut industry has been funding aflatoxin research for years. The research includes efforts to develop aflatoxin-resistant peanut plants and studies of growing techniques, such as the timing of irrigation, that could minimize problems. Fields treated with the good mold had 90 percent less aflatoxin than untreated fields, Cole said. The new technique should also reduce aflatoxin in corn and cotton seeds, he said.