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80% OF AMERICANS TEST POSITIVE FOR CHEMICAL FOUND IN CHEERIOS,...

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Business


80% OF AMERICANS TEST POSITIVE FOR CHEMICAL FOUND IN CHEERIOS, QUAKER OATS THAT
MAY CAUSE INFERTILITY, DELAYED PUBERTY: STUDY

By Shannon Thaler

Published Feb. 15, 2024, 9:24 a.m. ET

Four out of five Americans are being exposed to a little-known chemical found in
popular oat-based foods — including Cheerios and Quaker Oats — that is linked to
reduced fertility, altered fetal growth and delayed puberty.

The Environmental Working Group published a study in the Journal of Exposure
Science & Environmental Epidemiology on Thursday that found a staggering 80% of
Americans tested positive for a harmful pesticide called chlormequat.

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The “highly toxic agricultural chemical” is federally allowed to be used on oats
and other grains imported to the US, according to the EWG. When applied to oat
and grain crops, chlormequat alters a plant’s growth, preventing it from bending
over and thus making it easier to harvest, per the EWG.

3
Four out of five Americans, or roughly 80%, are being exposed to a little-known
chemical called chlormequat that’s found in popular oat-based foods, including
Cheerios, according to the Environmental Working Group. scandamerican –
stock.adobe.com

“Just as troubling, we detected the chemical in 92% of oat-based foods purchased
in May 2023, including Quaker Oats and Cheerios,” the nonprofit organization
said in a report published alongside the group’s findings.

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General Mills, which makes Cheerios, and PepsiCo, which makes Quaker Oats,
didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.


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Another particularly concerning data point: After testing for the presence of
chlormequat in urine collected from 96 people between 2017 and 2023, the EWG’s
tests “found higher levels and more frequent detections of chlormequat in the
2023 samples … which suggests consumer exposure to chlormequat could be on the
rise.”

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3
The EWG warned that chlormequat exposure “could be on the rise,” though it’s
been shown to damage animals’ reproductive health, as well as harm fetal
development and delay puberty. Klarion – stock.adobe.com

For reference, chlormequat was detected in 69% of study participants in 2017.

The number edged higher, to 74%, between 2018 and 2022, and spiked to 90% in
2023.

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Since chlormequat typically leaves the body within 24 hours, such a high
concentration of positive tests indicates that Americans are regularly being
exposed to the pesticide, according to the EWG’s report earlier reported on by
the Daily Mail.


SEE ALSO


MORE THAN 70M AMERICANS HAVE WATER CONTAMINATED WITH ‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’: STUDY

Though research about chlormequat is ongoing, the EWG noted, studies have shown
its potential effects on animals, which “raises questions about whether it could
also harm humans,” the EWG said.

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In animal studies, chlormequat has damaged reproductive systems and disrupted
fetal growth in animals, “changing development of the head and bones and
altering key metabolic processes.”

EWG also tested 20 more oat-based foods for chlormequat, plus seven organic, 13
non-organic, and nine wheat-based products, the EWG said, though it didn’t
specify which brands’ foods it tested.

Detectable levels of the chemical in question were found on 92% of non-organic
oat-based foods, while only two samples of wheat-based foods — both of them
bread — had low levels of chlormequat.

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Only one of the seven organic samples had low levels of chlormequat.

The activist group said it would continue studying chlormequat and its harmful
effects, and called for answers from the federal government, including whether
the Food and Drug Administration should mandate that US foods be tested for
chlormequat.

3
Since chlormequat typically leaves the body within 24 hours, such a high
concentration of positive tests indicates that Americans are regularly being
exposed to the pesticide, which is also found in Quaker Oats products, the EWG
said. Adriana – stock.adobe.com

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However, the EWG noted, the US Environmental Protection Agency under President
Biden’s administration proposed allowing the first-ever use of chlormequat on
barley, oat, triticale and wheat grown in the US.

The EWG declared that it opposes the “dangerous” April 2023 decision — which
came in response to a request by chlormequat manufacturer Taminco.

The FDA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Taminco couldn’t be
reached for comment.

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Until the government puts parameters around chlormequat and its use, the EWG
urged consumers to opt for organic oats growth without synthetic pesticides like
chlormequat when they want their oat fix.

“EWG recommendation for shoppers is to buy organic oat products since these oats
are grown without the use of toxic pesticides such as chlormequat and
glyphosate,” EWG’s vice president of science investigations, Olga Naidenko, told
The Post.


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Filed under agriculture ,  cereal ,  chemicals ,  fda ,  food safety ,  general
mills ,  pepsico ,  2/15/24
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