Should you skip that morning bowl of cereal or oatmeal?
That's what some people may be wondering in light of a study released this week by the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that focuses on agricultural and chemical safety laws in the United States. The study examined the prevalence of a pesticide called chlormequat in oat-based foods, including grains like Cheerios and Quaker oats
EWG said it found detectable levels of the chemical in 92% of non-organic oat-based foods purchased in May 2023.
“Studies in laboratory animals show that chlormequat can interfere with normal fetal growth and development and damage the reproductive system,” EWG Vice President Olga Naidenko told MarketWatch. These risks may include reduced fertility, according to the EWG report
The substance has not been proven to affect humans in the same way as the studies cited by the EWG, such as in laboratory animals, and there are other studies that have found that chlormequat has no effect on the reproduction of pigs or mice or any Influences fertilization rates in mice.
However, EWG still advocates for concerned consumers to purchase organic oat products as an alternative
“Certified organic oats are legally grown without synthetic pesticides,” Naidenko said
Representatives for General Mills GIS, +1.28% , the company that makes Cheerios, and PepsiCo PEP, -0.92% , which owns Quaker Oats, did not immediately respond to a request for comment
“‘Any family raising children or thinking about starting a family should do everything they can to avoid chlormequat. It is not a safe product.'”
– Charles Benbrook, a scientific advisor who focuses on pesticides
EWG's recommendation to go organic was echoed by experts contacted by MarketWatch
Charles Benbrook, a scientific advisor in Washington state who focuses on pesticides, said he is an oatmeal eater who opts for organic oatmeal “when I can get it.”
Regarding chlormequat, Benbrook said, “It’s not a safe product.”
“Any family raising children or thinking about starting a family should do everything they can to avoid chlormequat,” he said.
Melissa Furlong, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Arizona, said it's important to note that chlormequat is not the only pesticide found in oat-based grains. We still have a lot to learn about the substance's health effects on humans, she added.
“That doesn’t mean it’s not the worst [pesticide]. “We don’t really know,” Furlong said
According to the EWG, chlormequat is not approved for use in food crops grown in the United States, but can be found in oats and oat products from other countries. Under the Trump administration, the Environmental Protection Agency began allowing such products to be imported into the United States, the EWG noted, which is why chlormequat is found in some grains sold in that country.
According to the agency's website, the EPA is considering approving chlormequat for use in crops grown in the United States. In a call for public comment on its proposed decision, the agency stated: “Based on EPA's human health risk assessment, there are no food, housing, or total (i.e., combined food and housing exposure) risks of concern.” . â€
The EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
For her part, Furlong said that while she typically buys organic oat products, she isn't strict about it — and might still buy a box of Cheerios every now and then.