Study: 80% of Americans test positive for chemical found in some cereals that may cause infertility, disrupted fetal growth



The vast majority of Americans have been exposed to a toxic agricultural chemical that has been linked in animal studies to disrupted fetal growth, damage to the reproductive system, delayed puberty, and reduced fertility, according to a new peer-reviewed paper published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.

The study, executed by the Environmental Working Group — a chemical watchdog and activist group that has been accused in recent years of alarmism and exaggeration — examines concentrations of chlormequat chloride in oat-based foods and suggests that current exposure levels "warrant more expansive toxicity resting, food monitoring, and epidemiological studies."

Chlormequat was first registered in the U.S. in 1962 as a plant growth regulator that successfully inhibits cell elongation, producing sturdier stalks that are less likely to bend over — particularly beneficial for cereal crops.

The chemical, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency apparently recognized as "toxic to wildlife," has been found to take a toll on mammals.

The new study highlights how Danish pig farmers noticed in the 1980s "reproductive declines in pigs raised on chlormequat treated grains." Their observations were reportedly replicated in a controlled lab environment where female pigs fed chlormequat treated grain "exhibited disrupted oestrus cycling and difficult mating compared to animals on a control chlormequat-free diet."

Male mice, similarly exposed to the chemical via food or water, "exhibited decreased fertilization capacity of sperm in vitro."

When proposing to register new uses of the plant growth regulator as a pesticide in April 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency claimed there were "no dietary, residential, or aggregate (i.e., combined dietary and residential exposures) risks of concern associated with human exposure to chlormequat.

However, the study suggests that "more recent reproductive toxicity studies on chlormequat show delayed onset of puberty, reduced sperm motility, decreased weights of male reproductive organs, and decreased testosterone levels in rats exposed during sensitive windows of development, including during pregnancy and early life."

The EWG researchers conceded that other studies have not found such animal test subjects similarly impacted but intimated that such discrepancies simply warrant further investigation.

Chlormequat, which can form naturally from choline precursors in wheat products and egg powder under high temperature, reportedly entered the American food supply after the EPA published acceptable food tolerance levels for the pesticide in imported oat, wheat, barley, and other products in 2018.

These allowable levels were reportedly increased for oats in 2020. While admitting imported products containing traces of chlormequat, the EPA reportedly only allows the chemical to be used on ornamental plants grown in the U.S..

The EWG researchers examined 96 urine samples collected from American residents in three geographical regions between 2017 and 2023. The study notes that the pesticide was detected in 80% of all urine samples.

"Detection frequencies were higher in 2023 samples compared to 2017 and 2018 to 2022 samples with 16 of 23, or 69%, 17 of 23, or 74% and 45 of 50, or 90% of samples with detections, respectively," said the study.

The EWG researchers noted that food samples purchased from 2022 and 2023 "show detectable levels of chlormequat in all but two of 25 conventional oat-based products. Quaker Oats and Cheerios were allegedly among the affected cereals.

While the pesticide concentrations in urine taken up in this study were "several orders of magnitude below the reference dose (RfD) published by the U.S. EPA," the EWG indicated that much lower doses have been observed to reduce fertility in mice and pigs.

"Given the toxicological concerns associated with chlormequat exposure in animal studies, and widespread exposure to the general population, in European countries, and now also likely in the U.S., monitoring of chlormequat in foods and people, in conjunction with epidemiological and animal studies, is urgently needed to understand the potential health harms of this agricultural chemical at environmentally relevant exposure levels, particularly during pregnancy," the researchers concluded.

The EWG suggested in a report corresponding with its study, "Until the government fully protects consumers, you can reduce your exposure to chlormequat by choosing products made with organic oats, which are grown without synthetic pesticides such as chlormequat."

The New York Post indicated that neither General Mills, which produces Cheerios, nor PepsiCo, which makes Quaker Oats, responded immediately to requests for comment.

"The federal government has a vital role in ensuring that pesticides are adequately monitored, studied and regulated," Alexis Temkin, a toxicologist at EWG and lead author on the study, told the Daily Mail. "Yet the EPA continues to abdicate its responsibility to protect children from the potential health harms of toxic chemicals like chlormequat in food."

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General Mills planning major price hikes on 'hundreds of items across dozens of brands' amid inflation, supply chain crises — some items to go up by 20%: Report



As inflation continues to skyrocket under the Biden administration, American shoppers can expect to face even higher prices at the grocery store next year as General Mills prepares to jack up prices "on hundreds of items across dozens of brands," CNN reported.

What are the details?

The network reportedly obtained multiple letters the company sent to at least one major regional wholesale supplier last week that outlined plans to raise prices on a wide range of products in relatively short order.

General Mills' massive array of brands includes Cheerios, Nature Valley, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Green Giant, Yoplait, and dozens of other recognizable names. New price points for some products will be a whopping 20% higher, starting next year.

A leader of the wholesale supplier — speaking on the condition of anonymity — told CNN that it plans to pass the price increases on to its grocery and convenience store customers, who in turn are expected to pass the increases on to shoppers.

He added that he expects a similar trickle-down process to occur among other General Mills customers — a list that includes "leading big box stores, supermarkets, drug stores, and other chains in the United States," CNN noted.

A spokesperson for General Mills did not respond to requests for comment from CNN before publication.

What else?

General Mills is far from the first major corporation to announce significant price hikes amid the ongoing inflation and supply chain crises in America. The practice has become commonplace.

Well-known companies such as Coca-Cola, Kraft-Heinz, Tyson, Unilever, Proctor and Gamble, and countless others have also responded to the volatile economic situation by shifting costs onto consumers.

McDonald's, too, announced in October that it would be jacking up menu prices to withstand the economic headwinds. And this week, Dollar Tree, America's long-standing one-dollar discount chain, made history by announcing plans to raise the price on most of its products from $1.00 to $1.25.

The trend will likely continue until soaring inflation starts to settle. But experts aren't sure when that will be, and in the meantime, American consumers will suffer.

Earlier in November, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index for October had risen 6.2% over the last year. It marked the largest yearly increase in the price of consumer goods in more than three decades — and things are showing no signs of slowing down.