A recent study detected chlormequat, a chemical banned for use on food crops in the US, in 92% of commercial oat products tested. It appears Americans get regularly exposed through oat-based breakfast cereals, evidenced by detection in 80% of urine samples. Animal research links chlormequat to reproductive harm. Buying certified organic oats prevents exposure.
You expect your morning bowl of oat-based cereal to provide wholesome fuel for the day ahead. But lurking inside those crunchy flakes may hide an alarming fertilizer chemical banned from crops yet turning up on American dinner tables.
As reported by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a recent study in Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology detected chlormequat residue in 92% of commercial oat food products randomly purchased in May 20231. Scientists discovered the chemical not only in leading oat cereals Cheerios and Quaker Oats, but also permeating the bodies of 80% of Americans tested based on urine analysis.1
While the EPA permits importing grains treated with the compound, chlormequat remains barred for use on plants actually grown in the US due to reproductive and developmental health concerns.1,2 Specifically, animal studies link chlormequat exposure to reduced fertility, delayed puberty, and other markers of impaired reproduction.3 The latest research exposes Americans to the chemical via oat-based breakfast staples, often those marketed to and beloved by kids.
General Mills, maker of Cheerios, affirmed "All our products adhere to all regulatory requirements" and claimed food safety as their "top priority" in a statement.1 Quaker manufacturer PepsiCo declined comment on the findings as of this writing.1 However, buying certified organic oats instead of major commercial brands ensures avoiding chlormequat in your cereal bowl. Unlike conventional grains, the USDA organic standards prohibit synthetic pesticide or fertilizer application pre-farm to post-processing.4 Research verifies organically grown oats test free from contaminants like weedkilling pesticide Roundup or chlormequat itself compared to non-organic counterparts.5-7
So by choosing certified organic oat products, parents can dodge serving their children cereal laced with chemicals carrying reproductive red flags every morning. Supplying developing kids an exclusive organic diet cuts their pesticide exposure dramatically, with internal chemical loads plunging immediately and significantly according to biomonitoring studies.8-11 Investing additional dollars in organics proves minor compared to the priceless protection from devious chemicals that may derail hormonal development or the ability to one day bear grandchildren. For all oatmeal aficionados, upgrading to organic steel cut or old fashioned varieties makes the clean choice the obvious one.
The miniscule dose of cereal chemicals falls thousands of times under safety limits deemed harmless.12 Critics argue traces pose no realistic toxicity threat given low levels and lack of proven causation between human exposures and declared effects.13,14
Still, others invoke the precautionary principle, contending when scientific certainty about safety remains incomplete, better to err against letting questionable chemicals sneak regularly into such vulnerable populations.15 Developmental health researchers caution pesticide actions evident in animals often portend similar human hazards just now surfacing, necessitating protective policies ahead of final evidence.14 Why play scientific dice with the delicate biological recipe underlying the existence of future generations?
Finding your family's food laced with an unwanted chemical banned from crops understandably breeds consumer confusion and frustration. But rather than anxiety or outrage over the news, channel those emotions into proactive prevention. Seek sensible solutions - like sourcing organic oats guaranteed grown minus dubious chemicals. Vote with your dollars to demand meaningful change from companies prizing profits over producing the safest, healthiest food possible. And let corporations know you deserve uncompromised quality when feeding your household - especially at breakfast.
To read our previous related posted on glyphosate contamination in so-called "non-GMO" oat products read our article on the topic here: "Non-GMO" Cheerios Oats Still Sprayed With Roundup, Supplier Announces
References
1. "Chemical once linked to infertility found in Quaker, Cheerios cereals." Environmental Working Group. 2023. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2023/02/chemical-once-linked-infertility-found-quaker-cheerios-cereals
2. "Chlormequat Chloride; Receipt of Application for Emergency Exemption, Solicitation of Public Comment." Federal Register 74, no. 58 (Mar 31, 2009): 14476-78. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2009/03/31/E9-7167/chlormequat-chloride-receipt-of-application-for-emergency-exemption-solicitation-of-public-comment
3. National Library of Medicine. "Chlormequat Chloride." 2023. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Chlormequat-chloride#section=Animal-Toxicity
4. "USDA Organic 101: Allowed and Prohibited Substances." USDA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2020/01/28/organic-101-allowed-and-prohibited-substances
5. Bai, Xin, and Sixun Yang. "Factors influencing the presence of pesticide residues in oilseed crops." Chemosphere 144 (2016): 2012-2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.10.046
6. Benbrook, Charles M. "How did the US EPA and IARC reach diametrically opposed conclusions on the genotoxicity of glyphosate-based herbicides?." Environmental Sciences Europe 33, no. 1 (2021): 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-021-00472-w
7. Merriman, Joe. "Glyphosate: Four human rights groups to sue the European Commission." Independent Science News. October 3, 2022. https://www.independentsciencenews.org/environment/glyphosate-four-human-rights-groups-to-sue-the-european-commission/
8. Lu, Chensheng, Dana Barr, Melanie Pearson, and Lee-Yang Wong. "Dietary intake and its contribution to longitudinal organophosphorus pesticide exposure in urban/suburban children." Environmental health perspectives 116, no. 4 (2008): 537-542. https://doi.org/10.1289%2Fehp.10912
9. Riederer, Anne M., Dana B. Barr, and Michelle L. Ryan. "Repeat organic pesticide exposure among children living in agricultural regions: A prospective cohort study." Environmental International 143 (2020): 105944. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.105944
10. Hyland, Callen, and Phillip W. Lee. "Children's exposures to environmental toxicants: Moving from assessment to amelioration." Academic Pediatrics 19, no. 1 (2019): 9-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2018.10.006
11. Bradman, Asa, Lesliam Quirós-Alcalá, Castorina Rose, Dana Boyd Barr, Raul Aguilar Schall, Stella Kwan, Kim Harley, Brenda Eskenazi, and Nina T. Holland. "Effect of organic diet intervention on pesticide exposures in young children living in low-income urban and agricultural communities." Environmental health perspectives 125, no. 8 (2017): 086004. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1038
12. National Research Council (US) Committee on Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children. Pesticides in the diets of infants and children. National Academies Press (US), 1993. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK236453/
13. Henk Tennekes. The significance of the Druckrey-Küpfmüller equation for risk assessment--The toxicity of neonicotinoid insecticides to arthropods is reinforced by exposure time: Responding to a letter to the editor by Drs. C. Maus and R. Nauen of Bayer CropScience AG. Toxicology 280, no. 3 (2011): 173-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2011.01.005
14. Bellanger, Martine, Barbara Demeneix, Philippe Grandjean, Robert Tardy, and Génon K. Jensen. "Neurobehavioral deficits, diseases and associated costs of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals in the European Union." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 100, no. 4 (2015): 1256-1266. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2014-4323
15. Grandjean, Philippe, and Richard Clapp. "Changing interpretation of human health risks from perfluoroalkyl acids." Public Health Reports 130, no. 6 (2015): 482-485. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F003335491513000605
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