Study finds chlormequat in Cheerios and Quaker products

[Stevicus]

Study finds chlormequat in Cheerios and Quaker products: What to know about the pesticide

I had not heard of chlormequat before, but apparently, 4 out of 5 Americans have traces of it in their system.

Four out of five Americans likely have a lesser-known pesticide in their bodies thanks to the consumption of certain foods, according to a new study.

Published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology on Thursday, the study found that 80% of tested Americans had the chemical chlormequat in their systems, a plant regulating agent that is currently not approved for use on edible crops in the U.S.

Imported foods treated with chlormequat are allowed to enter the country, however. According to a brief published alongside the study by the advocacy organization Environmental Working Group (EWG), the findings "ring alarm bells," as the chemical is thought to be harmful and was found in common oat and wheat-based products, including Cheerios and Quaker Oats.

Chlormequat - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Sometimes I wonder, considering the rise of various forms of insanity in this country, how much of it is chemically-induced?

I can understand how it happens, at least considering how an infestation of bugs can destroy entire crops. So finding ways of killing the bugs makes sense, but the chemicals they use apparently lead to other problems.

I always sort of liked Cheerios, too. Oh well.

 

[McBell]

Chlormequat chloride is not a pesticide.

Chlormequat chloride is an agricultural chemical first registered in the U.S. in 1962 as a plant growth regulator. Although currently only allowed for use on ornamental plants in the U.S, a 2018 decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permitted the import of foods, primarily grains, treated with chlormequat​

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This is from the actual study the linked article gets its stats from:

A pilot study of chlormequat in food and urine from adults in the United States from 2017 to 2023 - Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology

Chlormequat chloride is a plant growth regulator whose use on grain crops is on the rise in North America. Toxicological studies suggest that exposure to chlormequat can reduce fertility and harm the developing fetus at doses lower than those used by regulatory agencies to set allowable daily...

www.nature.com

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[Revoltingest]

Is the chlormequat gluten free?

 

[Brickjectivity]

This is why the Society of Friends doesn't want Quaker brand to steal and desecrate the Quaker name.

Cheerios are given to small children by the way. Kids love them. Can't wait to get their chloro whatever.

 

[exchemist]

Chlormequat chloride is not a pesticide.

Chlormequat chloride is an agricultural chemical first registered in the U.S. in 1962 as a plant growth regulator. Although currently only allowed for use on ornamental plants in the U.S, a 2018 decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permitted the import of foods, primarily grains, treated with chlormequat​

​

This is from the actual study the linked article gets its stats from:

A pilot study of chlormequat in food and urine from adults in the United States from 2017 to 2023 - Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology

Chlormequat chloride is a plant growth regulator whose use on grain crops is on the rise in North America. Toxicological studies suggest that exposure to chlormequat can reduce fertility and harm the developing fetus at doses lower than those used by regulatory agencies to set allowable daily...

www.nature.com

​

The key paragraph in the study paper seems to me to be this one:

Current chlormequat concentrations in urine from this study and others suggest that individual sample donors were exposed to chlormequat at levels several orders of magnitude below the reference dose (RfD) published by the U.S. EPA (0.05 mg/kg bw/day) and the acceptable daily intake (ADI) value published by the European Food Safety Authority (0.04 mg/kg bw/day). However, we note that published toxicological studies on chlormequat suggest reevaluation of these safety thresholds may be warranted. For instance, animals exposed to doses lower than the current RfD and ADI, of 0.024 and 0.0023 mg/kg bw/day in mice and pigs respectively, exhibited reduced fertility [4]. In another toxicological study, exposure during pregnancy at a dose equivalent to the No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of 5 mg/kg that was used to derive the U.S. EPA reference dose, caused altered fetal growth as well as metabolism and body composition in neonatal mice [9]. Additionally, the regulatory thresholds do not consider the adverse effects of mixtures of chemicals that may impact the reproductive system, which have been shown to cause additive or synergistic effects at doses lower than for individual chemical exposures [22], raising concerns about the potential health effects associated with current exposure levels, especially for individuals on the higher end of exposure in general populations of Europe and the U.S.

What I take from this is:

- firstly the level of exposure is considerably below the current level regarded officially as acceptable. So nobody is breaking any rules.

- However, secondly, there are some possible reasons why the current limits could conceivably underestimate the effect of Chlormequat. These have not yet been investigated, apparently.