THE BATTALION Page 7A
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1981
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Researchers study mold poison
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Mycotoxins, a group of poiso-
chemicals sometimes associ-
Iwith moldy grains and nuts,
cause cancer and other dis-
s in animals, but the risk to
iple of industrialized nations —
re the tainted material may be
Jvertently fed to livestock —-
ms relatively small, say veter-
ry researchers at Texas A&M
A greater potential for harm
in developing countries
ire contaminated grain eaten
mans is suspected as a factor
iver cancer and other diseases.
Scientists at Texas A&M are
king on new techniques to
mycotoxins more rapidly
ivestock feed, with an eye to-
helping the enviable safety
ord of animal foods from Amer-
farms and ranches stay intact.
As far as we know, people can
the flesh of animals inadver-
itly fed moldy grain with little
from the effects of mycotox-
" said Dr. Norman Heidel-
gh, head of veterinary public
th at Texas A&M.
He pointed out, however, that
much greater study is needed of
all mycotoxins, which were disco
vered less than 20 years ago.
Researchers believe that
although there is no need for
alarm, the problem of mycotoxins
is becoming more prevalent in the
United States. The veterinary
public health department here
views the poisons as “an emerging
public health issue,” said Heidel-
baugh, an authority on the che
micals.
One of the most widely studied
myctoxins is aflatoxin B, which
occurs frequently in animal feed
grains and nuts. Grains can be
processed to remove these toxins,
but the complete safety of such
products needs verification by
animal studies, he said.
Mycotoxins may also be a signi
ficant factor in so-called “multi-
causal” diseases in both humans
and animals, said Texas A&M re
searcher Dr. Timothy Phillips,
who recently gave the scientific
worlds a view of the molecular
structure of a derivative of penicil-
lic acid, a common mold poison.
Penicillic acid, known to pro
duce cancer and increase blood
pressure in test rats, comes from a
penicillium mold similar to the
one that produces penicillin, one
of the world’s most widely pre
scribed antibiotics.
How a simple mold can be such
a two-edged sword is just one of
the questions scientists like Phil
lips and Heidelbaugh are trying to
answer.
Phillips’ new technique for out
lining the molecular structure of
mycotoxins will be a significant
and useful contribution in iden
tifying the poisons if they are sus
pected as a factor in a disease, said
Heidelbaugh.
Heidelbaugh cautioned people
not to blame mold poisons as the
sole cause of any disease in hu
mans or animals. Such actions
might conceal the true sources of
the ailment, he said.
“Not all molds produce mycoto
xins and in some cases — aged
j
ompetition for water
hiy affect small towns
Small to mid-sized communi-
art in danger of losing their
sh water reserves to aggressive
cities scrambling to provide
ter for their booming popula-
b, warns a Texas A&M Uni-
sity sociologist.
1 j"0ur smaller cities are losing
support nl tl, j| to thg ma j or metropolitan
ram, and Kii.: ^as for water rights to nearby
lined in
: yers and lakes because they ha-
lal History oh ^ ^ f ore sight of the larger
ersity by lit: ties and usually cannot afford the
nd of political expertise available
jjtlie big cities,” said Dr. Ruth
laffer.
“Water is crucial for survival,”
said. “Whoever controls that
ter resource will be able to con-
growth.”
chaffer, who has studied the
liological effects of federal water
fees for 10 years, said the na-
in’s largest cities are scraping for
jter rights in regions several
dred miles away. They are
ways to build dams, reser-
s and transport systems that
Id allow them to import sur-
water from other areas for ac-
fers that are being depleted
than they are being reple-
ied.
|0ne reason big cities are run-
ig out of water is waste, she
turned on a water faucet and let it
run a while before filling a glass
with cold tap water?” she asked.
“We just take these things for
granted.”
The Texas A&M sociologist said
the Reagan administration’s cut
backs on federal funds will make
competititon fierce for money to
begin new water projects or con
tinue those already underway.
The predicted federal policy,
which historically has supported
water projects in the West and
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cheese for example — a certain
amount of mold is considered de
sirable,” he said.
Phillips said a study of people in
Third World nations who had con
sumed grains contaminated with
mycotoxins showed increased in
cidence of liver cancer. This does
not occur in advanced countries
where livestock act as filters for
the tainted grains and, in turn, can
apparently be eaten safely by hu
mans.
“A mycotoxin may or may not
be there,” said Heidelbaugh.
“More often it is not.”
The new techniques being per
fected at Texas A&M by Phillips
will aid scientists in rapidly iden
tifying and analyzing mycotoxins
in livestock feed supplies, he said,
while futher ensuring the safety of
animal feeds and foods derived
from livestock.
Support for Phillips’ work over
the past two years has come from
the U.S. Department of Agricul
ture’s Veterinary Toxicology and
Entomology Laboratory here, as
well as the Texas Agricultural Ex
periment Station headquartered
at Texas A&M. TAES is a branch
of the Texas A&M System.
Although little is still known ab
out the effects of mycotoxins on
humans, it is currently considered
a minimal risk in the United
States, said the researchers, be
cause animals act as a primary bar
rier between humans and any con
taminated grains.
Mycotoxins, said Heidelbaugh,
provide a clear example of how
cattle, sheep and poultry can take
feeds which people cannot con
sume and can economically con
vert such grains into safe and nut
ritious sources of protein.
ALLEN J. SEGAL, J. D., C. P. A, Attorney and Coun
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with outdated water systems and
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said better planning at all levels of
government, cooperation be
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and conservation, particularly
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