YOU OAT TO KNOW

Study: ‘Harmful’ chem in 80% of Americans

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

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

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 prevents the plant from bending over, making it easier to harvest.

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

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

Found in urine

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

Chlormequat was detected in 69% of study participants in 2017, but reached 90% in 2023.

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.

It noted that studies have shown its potential effects on animals, which “raises questions about whether it could also harm humans.” In animal studies, chlormequat has damaged reproductive systems and disrupted fetal growth, “changing development of the head and bones and altering key metabolic processes.”

The EWG also tested 20 more oat-based foods for chlormequat, plus seven organic, 13 nonorganic, and nine wheat-based products, it said.

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

The group called for answers from the federal government, including whether the Food and Drug Administration should mandate that US foods be tested for chlormequat.

The EWG noted the Environmental Protection Agency under President Biden’s administration proposed allowing the 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 respond to a request for comment. Taminco couldn’t be reached.