Aflatoxins are mycotoxins produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. They are the most thoroughly studied group of mycotoxins in existence, largely because of decades of research into food-supply contamination. Aflatoxin B1 is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a Group 1 carcinogen.
Food first, buildings second
Most of what is known about aflatoxins comes from agriculture. They contaminate peanuts, corn, tree nuts, cottonseed and stored grain, and most countries regulate permitted levels in food and animal feed. That regulatory history is why the toxicology is unusually well developed compared with other mycotoxins.
In buildings, Aspergillus flavus can grow on damp materials and in accumulated dust and HVAC systems. Indoor concentrations are a different exposure route from contaminated food, and the two literatures should not be casually merged — a point worth keeping in mind when reading claims in either direction.
What the classification means
IARC Group 1 means there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans. That classification is based principally on dietary exposure, particularly in regions where staple crops are poorly stored, and in combination with hepatitis B infection.
It is a statement about the compound, not a prediction about your house. What environmental exposure at indoor levels means for an individual is a medical question, and one we are not qualified to answer.
Why it persists after remediation
Like every mycotoxin, aflatoxin is a chemical compound rather than an organism. Remediation removes mold and the material it colonized. It is not designed to remove residue that has already settled onto surfaces and into soft contents, and clearance testing based on spore counts will not detect it.
Removal
Aflatoxins are notably heat-stable, which is why cooking does not reliably destroy them in food. In a building the practical routes are:
- Physical removal — HEPA vacuuming and thorough surface cleaning.
- Enzymatic breakdown — cleaving the molecule rather than relocating it, which is what MycotoxinKlear is formulated to do.
- Disposal of porous items that stayed wet.
Bleach lightens staining and does not address the chemistry.
Common questions
What produces aflatoxin?
Mainly Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus.
Is aflatoxin a carcinogen?
Aflatoxin B1 is classified by IARC as a Group 1 carcinogen, based principally on dietary exposure evidence.
Does cooking destroy aflatoxin?
Aflatoxins are heat-stable and normal cooking does not reliably destroy them, which is why food regulation focuses on preventing contamination rather than treating it.
Can aflatoxin be in my house?
Aspergillus flavus can grow indoors on damp materials. Detecting the toxin requires dust sampling with laboratory analysis, not standard spore-count air testing.
See also: what is a mycotoxin.
