Chlormequat
Widespread Prevalence of Banned Crop Chemical In US Food Supply Sparks Concerns(ByJess Cockerill, Science Alert, 21 February 2024) Many countries allow the use of chlormequat in agricultural crops, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union. But in the US, the chemical is banned from use on any food crops, and is only approved for use in growing ornamental plants. However, since a decision by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2018, foods grown with chlormequat are allowed to be imported into the country. Where it was detected, concentrations of the chemical were consistent between the 2017 and 2018-2022 groups, while the samples from 2023 had significantly higher concentrations. Chlormequat doesn't stay in the body long, so the authors say the high prevalence could indicate "likely continuous exposure". SNAP Comment: As chlormequat is allowed on crops in Canada, similar testing should show similaar results.
EWG finds little-known toxic chemical in four out of five people tested (By Anthony Lacey (EWG) and Alexis Temkin, Ph.D. (EWG), EWG, February 15, 2024)
- First-in-the-U.S. study looked for the presence of chlormequat in humans.
- Federal rules allow the chemical’s use on oats and other grains imported to the U.S.
- Animal studies link chlormequat to reproductive and developmental problems, creating questions about its impact on humans.
Environmental Protection Agency regulations allow the chemical to be used on ornamental plants only – not food crops – grown in the U.S. But its use is permitted on imported oats and other foods sold here. Many oats and oat products consumed in the U.S. come from Canada. Chlormequat was not allowed on oats sold in the U.S. before 2018, when the Trump EPA gave first-time approval for some amount of the chemical on imported oats. The same administration in 2020 increased the allowable level. These regulatory changes might help explain why we’re seeing more frequent, higher detections of the chemical in Americans tested. In April 2023, in response to a 2019 application submitted by chlormequat manufacturer Taminco, the Biden EPA proposed allowing the first-ever use of chlormequat on barley, oat, triticale and wheat grown in the U.S. EWG opposes the plan. SNAP Comment: Chlormequat is a herbicide, and 'can also be used as an adjuvant for herbicides by retarding their oxidative disposal by plants' (Wikipedia). The CAS number for chlormequat chloride is 999-81-5 and 7003-89-6 999-81-5 for chlormequat chloride salt.. As formulants (or inerts) are secret in the US and Canada, who knows what pesticide formulations it has been added toas an adjuvant. Howeve, neither CAS number or the name chlormequat appears in the current formulant list from the PMRA. As of January 2025, there are 5 registered chlormequat pesticide poducts registered in Canada: 2 commercial formulations, and 3 technicals. In the United States, chlormequat is classified as a 'low risk plant growth regulator', likely because its LD50 (rat, oral) is approximately 670 mg/kg. The LD 50 is the level at which 1/2 the test animals die. It does not account for more subtle effects.