On Sat, 13 Nov 1999, Troy Gilchrist wrote:

> The primary concern regarding peanuts is that they are a significant vector
> for aflatoxin, one of the most carcinogenic substances known to humans.

I realize that Troy, and should have included it in my post.  I
am not quite sure what to do with it, however.  Aflatoxin causes
liver cancer, but searching for a link between peanut consumption
and liver cancer produces mixed results.  There is, for example,
a study of two peanut-eating populations in Africa, one of which
showed a strong correlation between peanut consumption and liver
cancer, the other of which did not.  The authors of the study
hypothesize that differences in climate -- especially dampness --
were responsible.

The fact is that aspergillus flavus, the organism that produces
the aflatoxin, grows on *many* things in damp conditions.  It is
in the mildew that will make spots on wet towels if you leave
them in a hamper for too long.  Aspergillus grows on real nuts,
too, as well as on berries or anything else that is capable of
getting moldy.

Todd Moody
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