CAN AFLATOXIN, A CARCINOGENIC FOODBORNE TOXIN IN CORN GROWN IN THE US AND WORLDWIDE, BE REDUCED IN TRANSGENIC BT CORN? EVIDENCE ABOUNDS THAT BT CORN HAS LOWER LEVELS OF THE MYCOTOXIN (OR FUNGAL TOXIN) FUMONISIN THAN NON-BT ISOLINES. THIS IS BECAUSE BT CORN PRODUCES CRYSTAL PROTEINS THAT ARE TOXIC TO THE INSECT PESTS THAT CAUSE FUSARIUM INFECTION IN CORN. BUT THE MYCOTOXIN REGULATED MORE HEAVILY, AND COSTING US CORN GROWERS MORE, IS AFLATOXIN - PRODUCED BY ASPERGILLUS FUNGI - WHICH&SHY; CAUSES HUMAN LIVER CANCER AND MULTIPLE ADVERSE EFFECTS IN ANIMALS. WHETHER BT CORN CAN REDUCE AFLATOXIN LEVELS IS UNCERTAIN. THIS IS BECAUSE FIELD TRIALS IN MULTIPLE STATES HAVE YIELDED CONFLICTING RESULTS; HENCE, A DEFINITIVE ANSWER HAS BEEN ELUSIVE.THIS PROPOSAL WILL OBTAIN A ROBUST ANSWER TO THE BT CORN-AFLATOXIN QUESTION BY TURNING TO A DIFFERENT SOURCE OF INFORMATION THAN FIELD STUDIES: NATIONAL CROP INSURANCE CLAIMS DATA. SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL ANALYZE INSURANCE CLAIMS DATA FOR AFLATOXIN DAMAGE TOCOMMERCIAL CORN CROPS ACROSS THE US. THIS DATA IS AVAILABLE FROM THE USDA RISK MANAGEMENT AGENCY (RMA). EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT (85%) OF US COMMERCIAL CORN CROPS ARE INSURED, AND INSURANCE CLAIMS FOR AFLATOXIN-SPECIFIC DAMAGE TO CORN CROPS ARE ONLY PERMITTED FOLLOWING USDA GUIDELINES AND LOSS ADJUSTORS' VERIFICATION. THUS, RMA INSURANCE CLAIMS DATA PROVIDE A QUALITY-CONTROLLED INDICATOR OF AFLATOXIN DAMAGE TO COMMERCIAL CORN CROPS IN THE US. CROP INSURANCE CLAIMS ALSO RECORD THE TYPE OF CORN THAT WAS GROWN IN THE LOCALITY, INCLUDING BT CORN. WE WILL ANALYZE THESE DATA FOR ALL US COUNTIES THAT PLANTED CORN ANY TIME BETWEEN 2001-2016, TOGETHER WITH DATA ON THE WEATHER CONDITIONS TO WHICH THE CORN CROPS WERE EXPOSED AND DATA ON OTHER CORN CROP FACTORS (DESCRIBED BELOW) THAT MAY AFFECT AFLATOXIN GROWTH. WE WILL ALSO CREATE A PREDICTIVE RISK MODEL THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME QUANTIFIES THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THESE FACTORS IN PROMOTING OR INHIBITING AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION IN CORN, TO THE EXTENT THAT WOULD RESULT IN AN INSURANCE CLAIM. IMPACT: THIS WILL BE THE MOST IN-DEPTH AND GEOGRAPHICALLY COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS EVER DONE OF FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ABILITY OF BT TRANSGENES TO REDUCE AFLATOXIN IN CORN; WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR CORN GROWERS, FOOD PROCESSORS AND MANUFACTURERS, POLICYMAKERS, AND HUMAN AND ANIMAL HEALTH IN THE US AND WORLDWIDE.