Climate Change Increases Toxins In Food: UN Report

Climate change may be damaging not just wildlife but food crops too, says a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Due to extreme weather, a range of food crops are creating unhealthy chemical compounds linked to health problems for people as well as the livestock consuming them. Crops like wheat and maize create compounds to protect themselves from extreme weather.

"Crops are responding to drought conditions and increases in temperature just like humans do when faced with a stressful situation," said Jacqueline McGlade, chief scientist and director of the Division of Early Warning and Assessment at UNEP.

During normal weather conditions, plants absorb nitrates and convert them into amino acids and proteins, which prove to be nutritious for living beings. But under prolonged drought conditions, the conversion tends to enhance nitrates, especially among maize, wheat, barley, soybeans, millet and sorghum.

Nitrate-rich diets tend to limit the ability of red blood cells to transport oxygen.

Moreover, shifting weather patterns increase aflatoxins and human carcinogens enhance the risk of liver damage, cancer and blindness. Almost 4.5 billion people in developing countries are open to annual aflatoxins, a number that continues to rise.

"We are just beginning to recognize the magnitude of toxin-related issues confronting farmers in developing countries of the tropics and sub-tropics," the report reads. "As warmer climate zones expand towards the poles, countries in more temperate regions are facing new threats."

Scientists also suggest that crop varieties can help to cope with extreme weather conditions due to climate change, which would also bring down toxic chemicals in food.

"Research centers with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research are developing seeds that are suitable in various regions that have been hit by climate change," McGlade said.