Four out of five Americans have been exposed to little-known chemicals found in popular oat-based foods such as Cheerios and Quaker Oats, which can reduce fertility, change fetal development, and more. Associated with delayed puberty.
The Environmental Working Group released the following report: study Thursday’s Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology found that an astonishing 80% of Americans have tested positive for a harmful pesticide called chlormequat.
According to EWG, this “highly toxic pesticide” is federally approved for use on oats and other grains imported into the United States. According to EWG, when applied to oats and grain crops, chlormequat alters plant growth, preventing plants from bending and making them easier to harvest.
“Equally alarming, this chemical was detected in 92% of oat-based foods purchased in May 2023, including Quaker Oats and Cheerios,” the nonprofit said in a statement. . report It was published along with the group’s findings.
General Mills, which makes Cheerios, and PepsiCo, which makes Quaker Oats, did not respond to requests for comment.
Another data point of particular concern: After testing for the presence of chlormequat in urine collected from 96 people between 2017 and 2023, EWG’s tests found that “the 2023 samples had elevated levels of chlormequat; It was found that chlormequat was detected more frequently…which suggests that consumers may have been exposed to chlormequat” on the rise. “
For reference, in 2017, chlormequat was detected in 69% of study participants. That number increased slightly from 2018 to 2022 to 74%, and jumped to 90% in 2023.
According to a previous EWG report, chlormequat is typically excreted from the body within 24 hours, so a positive test result at such high levels indicates that Americans are exposed to the pesticide on a regular basis. It is said that there is Daily Mail reported.
EWG said research on chlormequat is ongoing, but studies have shown potential effects on animals and “raise questions about whether it may also cause harm to humans.” .
In animal studies, chlormequat damaged the animals’ reproductive systems, disrupted fetal growth, “altered head and bone development, and altered key metabolic processes.”
EWG also said it tested 20 more oat-based foods, as well as seven organic, 13 non-organic and nine wheat-based products for chlormequat, but did not say which brands of foods were tested. Didn’t make it clear.
While the chemical in question was found at detectable levels in 92% of non-organic oat-based foods, only two samples (both bread) had low levels of chlormequat in wheat-based foods. .
Only one of the seven organic samples had low levels of chlormequat.
The activist group said it would continue researching chlormequat and its harmful effects and demanded answers from the federal government, including whether the Food and Drug Administration would require U.S. food products to be tested for chlormequat.
However, EWG noted that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Joe Biden’s administration has proposed, for the first time ever, allowing the use of chlormequat on barley, oats, triticale, and wheat grown in the United States.
EWG declared it opposes the “dangerous” April 2023 decision, issued at the request of chlormequat manufacturer Taminco.
The FDA did not respond to requests for comment. Taminko could not be reached for comment.
Until the government sets standards for chlormequat and its use, EWG urged consumers to choose organically grown oats without synthetic pesticides like chlormequat if they want to fix their oats.
“EWG’s recommendation for shoppers is to purchase organic oat products because these oats are grown without the use of toxic pesticides such as chlormequat and glyphosate.” EWG Olga Naidenko, vice president for scientific research, told the Post.
