• Project number: F 2576
• Institution: Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)
• Status: Ongoing Project
• Planned end: 2027-09-30

Description:

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of certain moulds, that show toxic effects on humans even at low concentration. Workplaces that include activities with organic materials such as hay, grain or waste, have an increased occurrence of moulds and thus an increased potential for employees to be exposed to mycotoxins.

Risk assessment of activities involving exposure to toxic bioaerosol components, and the resulting occupational safety measures are usually determined based on the measurement of endotoxins, which can only originate from bacteria. The toxic potential of mycotoxins, on the other hand, has not yet been taken into account. There is also a need to update the status report on the "Significance of mycotoxins in workplace-related risk assessment", which was published by the Committee on Biological Agents (ABAS, 2007).

This project is part of a bundle of two parallel projects. The general aim is to determine the mycotoxin exposure of employees at workplaces with an increased mould occurrence. In project 1, human biological specimen and bioaerosol samples are collected from employees working in feed storage and animal husbandry and at their workplaces. In project 2, mycotoxins are determined in these samples using chromatography and mass spectrometry.

The results of both projects will be communicated to the ABAS for updating the status report, the concretisation of the exposure level approach of TRBA 400 and the development of specific technical rules for activities with mycotoxin hazards.