The Journal of

Introduction: Aflatoxins are of the highly toxic metabolites, produced by different species of aspergillums causing Immunosuppressive, mutagenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic effects. The major aim of this study is to evaluate the concentration of aflatoxin M1 in breast milk in Yazd in summer and winter 2013.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. During summer and winter 2013, samples from 80 mothers referring to health centers of Yazd were obtained. ELISA was used to measure aflatoxin M₁.

Results: From total number of 80 samples, 6 cases (7.5%) were contaminated with aflatoxin M₁. Contamination rate was significantly higher in winter comparing to summer (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was observed between the amount of toxin in samples of morning and evening (P>0.05).

Conclusions: According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that to reduce the risk of aflatoxin, it is necessary to educate the woman living in Yazd to sources of this toxin.