Turning Point USA

80% of Americans tested positive for a chemical that has been found in several oat products such as Cheerios and Quaker Oats have been linked to infertility and delayed puberty.

Many Americans have become aware in recent years of the dangers of phthalates found in plastics, nitrates in lunch meats, and even food dyes, “natural flavors,” and texturizing agents that are hidden down the long list of ingredients on processed food products. More and more, it seems as though the food industry, enabled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working against Americans.

A new study conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and published last week in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology found a concerning 80% of Americans are consuming a harmful additive called chlormequat.

Chlormequat is a highly toxic substance normally used in agriculture because the chemical prevents wheat plants from bending over, making them easier to harvest. Wheat products imported by the U.S. may contain this chemical, as it has not yet been made illegal for imports.

“Just as troubling, we detected the chemical in 92% of oat-based foods purchased in May 2023, including Quaker Oats and Cheerios,” EWG said in a report detailing the study’s conclusions.

General Mills, the parent company of Cheerios, Quaker Oats, Nature Valley, and other popular food brand, has yet to respond to the study’s findings.

The EWG discovered that 4 out of 5 Americans tested positive for chlormequat and found higher levels of the chemical present in individuals in 2023 than in previous years.

Many Americans are still being exposed to this chemical through continuous consumption. Although chlormequat is believed to leave the body within 24 hours, many consumers who eat wheat or oat products containing the chemical daily, and the long-term harm is not yet entirely known. Additionally, detectable levels of chlormequat were found in 92% of non-organic, oat-based foods.

Evidence from prior studies has shown that the chemical is linked to reduced fertility, altered fetal growth and development, and delayed puberty in animals. Despite these conclusions, there have not yet been any in-depth studies to investigate the long-term effects of frequent consumption of the chemical in humans.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that based on the animal tests, there is “no risk of concern,” despite the EWG’s insistence that additional research is needed to definitively know how chlormequat affects humans.

Chlormequat is just one of several hundred chemicals and artificial additives that has been used in human food with little oversight from the FDA.