Popular Snack Foods May Increase Exposure to Toxins Linked to Cancer and Other Health Issues
Eating some popular snack foods, like corn chips and popcorn, may put people at risk of being exposed to toxins with links to cancer and other health problems, according to a new study.
Researchers led by scientists at Rutgers University followed 33 pregnant women from New Jersey and found mycotoxins — toxic chemicals produced by some mold and fungi — in every urine sample they collected, according to a press release.
Per the World Health Organization, mycotoxins can grow on foods including cereals, nuts, dried fruits, apples and coffee beans and cause health effects from acute poisoning to cancer and immune deficiency.
“Mycoestrogens are among the most common food contaminants worldwide, yet evidence on their dietary sources in the United States has been limited,” said Zorimar Rivera-Núñez, an assistant professor at Rutgers School of Public Health and the study’s lead author, in the release.
Rivera-Núñez added, “They have potent estrogenic properties, but we know very little about how these exposures may affect pregnant women and their developing babies.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration added zearalenone to its Mycotoxin Compliance Program in 2024 but hasn’t set any maximum limits in food, per the release.
The researchers are calling for greater awareness of mycotoxins like zearalenone, both in terms of their impact during pregnancy and more generally.
(Source: People Magazine – July 23, 2026)
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