OATMEAL, WHO KNEW? –
Feb. 15, 2024 – “Chlormequat is primarily used on grain crops like oats, wheat and barley,” Alexis Temkin, a senior toxicologist at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) and lead author on the study, told Newsweek. “[However,] in the U.S. only imported varieties of these crops are allowed to have chlormequat residues.”
“EWG also tested nine wheat-based products and only found chlormequat in two products at low levels.”
To test for the prevalence of this compound in humans, the team took urine samples from 96 individuals in the U.S. between 2017 and 2023 and tested them for the presence of chlormequat.
“Our findings show that of the people we tested, 80 percent of them were exposed to chlormequat and that samples collected in 2023 had more detections and at higher concentrations,” Temkin said.
