The top row
About 80 percent of Americans have been exposed to the plant pesticide chlormequat, which causes fertility and growth problems in animals, according to a new study published Thursday, although other studies have found it had no effect on fertility and the Conservation Service Environment said that there were no adverse risks for humans.
Boxes of Cheerios cereal, made by General Mills, sit on a grocery store shelf.
Basic elements
About four in five Americans are exposed to chloromequat chloride, a “highly toxic agricultural chemical” linked to fertility and birth problems in livestock, according to an Environmental Working Group study Published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology on Thursday, the EWG said the issues in animals suggest “the potential for similar harm in humans.”
Exposure to chlormequat in rats also resulted in reduced sperm motility, reduced male testosterone levels, delayed onset of puberty and reduced weight of male reproductive organs, according to the study.
The American study looked at urine samples between 2017 and 2023 and found that the number of participants with chlormequat concentrations in their urine increased by more than 20% during that time frame from 69% in 2017 to 90% in 2023, suggesting that consumer exposure is on the rise.
The chemical is found in many oat-based foods: The EWG tested 13 oat-based foods, such as Cheerios and Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, and found higher levels than the group deemed safe in 11 foods, according to a 2023. report—Forbes reached out to General Mills, which makes Cheerios, and PepsiCo, which makes Quaker Oats, for comment.
Chlormequat is only approved for use in the US on ornamental plants such as flowers, but the EPA began to allow a certain amount of chlormequat in imported oats and other foods in 2018 and increased the amount in 2020, which is how Americans end up consuming it, according to the 2023 EWG report.
It is used as a pesticide on plants to control plant size by blocking hormones that stimulate plant growth before they flower, according in the EPA.
Chlormequat only stays in the body for 24 hours, so the high levels found in the test population indicate “regular exposure”. according at the EWG; the group recommends buying and eating organic oat products, which are not grown with synthetic pesticides like chlormequat, to reduce exposure to the chemical.
Crucial passage
“The federal government has a vital role to play in ensuring that pesticides are adequately monitored, studied and regulated,” said Alexis Temkin, lead author of the study and senior toxicologist at EWG. “Yet the EPA continues to abdicate its responsibility to protect children from the potential health harms of toxic chemicals like chlormequat in food.”
Key background
Although research needs to be done on the risk of chlormequat in humans, there have been several studies that have looked at the effects in animals. Researchers studied the effects of chlormequat on rat fetuses and found the chemical caused birth defects, such as increased head and body size, according to a 2020 Toxicology. study. Female pigs fed chlormequat-treated grains had difficulty mating compared to those on a chlormequat-free diet, according to an International Journal of Andrology study. Male mice exposed to the chemical had a reduced fertilization rate over 40%.
On the contrary
Several studies have found no effect on reproduction female mice the male pigsor reduced fertilization rates in male mice exposed to chlormequat. The EPA suggested allowing chlormequat to be used on oats and other grains in 2023. Before proposing its use on grains, EPA evaluated whether exposure to chlormequat had adverse effects in humans and found no dietary, household, or cumulative risks. Cereals are sensitive to accommodation—the bending and breaking of grain stems—which can adversely affect grain yield and harvest. Chlormequat reduces stem height, which reduces residence and potentially increases yield, according to the EPA. Chlormequat reduced plant height by up to 29% and increased grain yields by 4% when applied to wheat, according to 2019 study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
