A comparative study in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology examined mycotoxin biomarkers across populations in three regions of China and found extensive co-occurrence — meaning most participants carried biomarker evidence of multiple mycotoxins simultaneously, not single-compound exposures.
Lead author Zhou and colleagues documented co-occurrence patterns among common mycotoxins including aflatoxin metabolites, ochratoxin A, fumonisin B1, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone. Their cumulative risk assessment quantified how combined exposures may pose greater health risk than single-toxin analyses suggest, an important methodological point for both regulators and food-safety researchers.
The geographic comparison highlighted regional variation tied to dietary staples and storage conditions — a reminder that mycotoxin exposure is shaped by environmental and food-system factors, not by individual behavior alone.