‘This is raising alarm bells’: Four in five Americans test positive for the little-known toxic chemical found in CHEERIOS that can cause infertility and delay puberty, study shows
A large majority of Americans are exposed to a little-known chemical used in crops that poses a risk to reproductive and developmental health.
A small survey conducted by the Environmental Working Group found that four in five Americans – or 80 percent – tested positive for chlormequat, a pesticide used to grow crops.
In some studies, chlormequat has been linked to reduced fertility, damage to the reproductive system and altered fetal development.
And due to health concerns, it is not allowed to be used for food crops in the United States.
However, the US allows the import of food from other countries that use chlormequat on food crops – meaning Americans could be exposed to it.
The study analyzed urine samples from 96 people between 2017 and 2023 and found the chemical in 77 samples.
Of particular concern, the researchers said, they found higher levels and more frequent detections in 2023 than between 2017 and 2022, indicating exposure to the dangerous chemical is increasing.
In 2017, chlormequat was found in 69 percent of urine samples. Between 2018 and 2022 the detection level was 74 percent and in 2023 the detection level was 90 percent
Testing popular food products, the study also found that chlormequat was in 92 percent of oat-based foods purchased in May 2023, including Quaker Oats and Cheerios cereal.
Furthermore, because chlormequat leaves the body quickly – within 24 hours – the findings suggest that exposure to the substance is almost constant.
Lead author of the study, Dr. Alexis Temkin, a toxicologist at EWG, said: ‘EWG’s new study on chlormequat is the first of its kind in the US.
‘The ubiquity of this little-studied pesticide in humans raises alarm bells about how it can potentially cause harm without anyone even knowing they have consumed it.’
In 2017, the detection level was 69 percent. Between 2018 and 2022 the level was 74 percent and in 2023 the detection level was 90 percent.
Testing popular food products, the study also found that chlormequat was in 92 percent of oat-based foods purchased in May 2023, including Quaker Oats and Cheerios cereal.
Researchers tested seven organic and thirteen non-organic food products, as well as nine wheat-based products.
Chlormequat was found in 92 percent of non-organic oat-based products, while only two samples of wheat-based foods had low levels.
Only one of the seven organic products had a low level of the substance.
In animal studies, chlormequat has been linked to fertility problems and has been shown to pose a risk to fetal development.
In a study of the pesticide’s effects on rats, chlormequat was found to delay the onset of puberty, reduce sperm motility, shrink male reproductive organs and lower testosterone levels.
Additional studies have shown that chlormequat exposure during pregnancy can disrupt fetal growth and metabolism.
Temkin said, “The federal government plays a critical role in ensuring that pesticides are adequately monitored, studied and regulated.
“Yet the EPA continues to abdicate its responsibility to protect children from the potential health harm of toxic chemicals like chlormequat in food.”
Chlormequat is a pesticide that farmers use to increase the amount of crops they grow.
A report from nonprofit As You Sow evaluated and graded the efforts 17 food companies have made to reduce pesticides. None of the companies scored better than a C
The chemical is currently only allowed to be used on ornamental plants, not food crops.
Although the pesticide is not allowed on food crops in the US, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations relaxed during the Trump administration in 2018 allowed the import of food from countries that prohibit the use of chlormequat on food crops allow — meaning Americans are exposed to the chemical in some products.
In 2020, the Trump administration increased the amount allowed.
Under the Biden administration in April 2023, the EPA proposed allowing the chemical’s use in food crops in the US for the first time.
The EPA said using chlormequat would help with crop lodging — the bending and breaking of crop stems, making them difficult to harvest and significantly reducing a crop’s growth.
Because chlormequat is a plant growth regulator, it can reduce the height of stems, reduce residence time and increase the yield of a crop.
The research was published Thursday in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology