EPA ‘reviewing’ explosive report on toxic chemical found in Cheerios, Quaker Oats — even as US considers expanding its use
The Environmental Protection Agency is considering allowing US farmers to use a controversial chemical found in Cheerios and Quaker Oats — even as the agency said it is “reviewing” an explosive study last week that raised safety alarms, The Post has learned.
Last week, a nonprofit called Environmental Working Group published results of a study that found four out of five Americans tested positive for the little-known chemical chlormequat chloride, which has been linked to reduced fertility, altered fetal growth and delayed puberty, according to the report.
“The EPA is reviewing the study,” the US agency said in a statement to The Post.
The EPA confirmed, however, that it also is weighing whether to allow US farmers to start using chlormequat. To date, the chemical has turned up increasingly in breakfast staples like Cheerios and Quaker Oats mainly because they’re made with oats grown on farms in Canada where chlormequat is allowed, according to industry officials.
Last year, in response to an application submitted by chlormequat manufacturer Taminco, the EPA issued a proposal to allow US farmers to use the chemical. The company says it helps to increase crop yields by making the grains stand upright, making them easier to harvest.
The EPA said it is “currently reviewing public comments” that it began soliciting last April and that it will make a decision in “late 2024”.
The EPA is also weighing whether to increase the allowed amount of chlormequat allowed in imported oats.
Among those who have urged the EPA to keep chlormequat restricted are the Center for Food Safety as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics, which raised concerns about child safety in a May 25 letter.
“The AAP believes that the EPA’s proposed decision to approve the requested tolerances for chlormequat on food crops will negatively affect the health and well-being of infants and children,” the group wrote.
Chlormequat has been in the US food supply since 2018 when the EPA allowed it in imported oats, wheat, barley and some animal products — and its use has been expanding during the past few years, according to EWG.
Last year, the agency said it had “assessed whether exposure to this product would cause unreasonable adverse effects to human health and the environment” concluding that there are “no risks of concern.”
The agency also said “The dose that EPA determined protects against chronic dietary exposures is 50 times lower than the dose where reproductive effects are generally seen.”
EWG, whose study was published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, claims the EPA’s research overlooked important “studies on chlormequat toxicity” in animals showing its impact on pigs and rodents, “especially on the male reproductive system and on the growth of the developing fetus.”
General Mills did not respond to requests for comment.
Pepsico, which owns Quaker Oats, said “At Quaker, we stand by the safety and quality of our products. We have a comprehensive food safety management system in place. We adhere to all regulatory guidelines to ensure the safest, highest quality products for our consumers.”
Bob’s Red Mill — known for its natural and certified gluten-free grain products — noted that “chlormequat is allowed for use in conventional oat farming applications in the USA and Canada, and oats from these farms confirm the residue limit on oats of 40 parts per million of chlormequat.”
Bob’s Red Mill went on to emphasize that its oats are organic and that “chlormequat is not approved for use in organic farming applications.”
“We at Bob’s Red Mill do not use chlormequat on our products,” a company spokesperson said.
The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the food supply, deferred to the EPA on this matter, the agency said in a statement to The Post.
“The EPA evaluates pesticides to ensure that they are safe for human health and the environment when used according to label directions. The EPA also sets tolerances for each pesticide that may be found on foods, which includes evaluating risk assessments to consumers.
EWG has been studying the chemical’s presence in the US since 2017, when it began testing urine samples from 96 Americans.
The amount of chlormequat found in these subjects has grown from 69% in 2017 to 90% in 2023, according to EWG.
John Stanton, chairman of the Food, Pharma and Healthcare department at St. Joseph’s University, said he was skeptical about the study’s findings, pointing out that the number of people who participated is not a “robust” sampling.
“I wouldn’t bet my life on a study of 96 people,” Stanton told The Post. “Ninety-six people is enough to give you a reliable sample, but is it enough to change the eating habits of millions of people?”
Stanton suggested that the findings are something “we should look into with a little more rigor.”
Pesticides also can be found in organic products because there is no uniform, national definition for what qualifies as organic and each state has its own definition, consultant Steve Johnson of Foodservice Solutions told The Post.
“One state may make exceptions from time to time about using insecticides if there is an infestation of something. They will let farmers spray and still label something organic,” Johnson said. “That’s the problem with organic.”
What’s more, companies that sell agricultural chemicals frequently change their formulations to improve their products.
“They may want a product to both kill grass and keep a certain bug out,” Johnson said. “But when they do that there are new consequences.”
