Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) is a genotoxic carcinogen that frequently contaminates cereals in tropical food systems. Somalia lacks nationally representative dietary intake data to support exposure assessment and risk management. To estimate dietary exposure to AFB₁ from maize and sorghum among Somali adults and children and to characterize risk using internationally endorsed toxicological reference points. A deterministic exposure assessment integrated AFB₁ occurrence data from Somali market surveys with per-capita daily cereal intake derived from SIHBS 2022. Average Probable Daily Intake (APDI; ng/kg bw/day) was calculated for adults (60 kg) and children (20 kg) across mean, P50, P95, and P97. 5 consumption levels combined with minimum, median, and maximum contamination scenarios. Margin of Exposure (MOE) was computed using BMDL₁₀ = 400 ng/kg bw/day. Maize—especially white maize—dominated exposure. Under median contamination, adult maize APDI ranged 293–1366 ng/kg bw/day (MOE 1. 37–0. 29), while children’s APDI ranged 878–4101 ng/kg bw/day (MOE 0. 46–0. 10). Sorghum generally contributed much lower exposure except under maximum contamination for red sorghum. Children had approximately three-fold higher exposure than adults on a body-weight basis. Estimated MOEs were far below 10, 000, indicating very high priority for risk management. Strengthened regulation, monitoring, and post-harvest interventions are urgently needed, alongside improved dietary data systems.
Hersi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.