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Against the Grain: Stop the EPA from Allowing More Poison in Our Food
EPA to Approve the First Food Uses for Chlormequat Chloride on Wheat, Triticale, Barley, and Oats
The public comment period closes at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 25, 2023.
Against the Grain: Stop the EPA from Allowing More Poison in Our Food -- EPA to Approve the First Food Uses for Chlormequat Chloride on Wheat, Triticale, Barley, and Oats
Goodness knows Americans have more than enough reproductive and developmental problems, not to mention an epidemic of other devastating diseases that includes Parkinsons.
Yet now, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to approve the use of chlormequat on grains. The agrichemical is said to act as a growth inhibitor that makes it easier for farmers to harvest. If EPA has its way, chlormequat would be approved for spraying directly on wheat, barley, triticale and oats - with tolerance levels for secondary residues in meat, milk, poultry, and eggs.
Farmers have always grown these crops without chlormequat and there is no need for this poison. EPA's proposal is just another giveaway to corporations seeking to profit at the expense of our health.
Chlormequat is an extremely hazardous agrichemical linked, at low doses of exposure, to many serious health problems in mammals:
Yet now, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to approve the use of chlormequat on grains. The agrichemical is said to act as a growth inhibitor that makes it easier for farmers to harvest. If EPA has its way, chlormequat would be approved for spraying directly on wheat, barley, triticale and oats - with tolerance levels for secondary residues in meat, milk, poultry, and eggs.
Farmers have always grown these crops without chlormequat and there is no need for this poison. EPA's proposal is just another giveaway to corporations seeking to profit at the expense of our health.
Chlormequat is an extremely hazardous agrichemical linked, at low doses of exposure, to many serious health problems in mammals:
- Disrupting fetal growth
- Changing how heads and bones develop
- Altering metabolism
- Delaying development during puberty
- Adversely affecting sperm motility
- Decreasing testosterone production
- Harming the nervous system
- Just a mouthful can be deadly to humans.
The chemical is so toxic that EPA's original approval in 1962 was strictly for use on ornamental plants in greenhouses. In 2007, the Agency approved expanded use outdoors, only on containerized ornamental plants in shade houses and nurseries. The Agency identified potential ecological risks of concern related to chlormequat exposure to birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and fish, and as a result, the Agency restricted the methods of application.
Chlormequat is also very persistent in the environment — it's been found to be one of the most commonly detected pesticide residues in countries that use it.
In 2018, the Agency allowed chlormequat on imported oats, wheat, barley, and some animal products. Without a scientific basis, the allowed tolerance levels were increased on some of these commodities in 2020. Ultimately, this decision paved the way for what we see now - the introduction of this very concerning and highly toxic agrichemical into U.S. food production.
The EPA wants YOUR INPUT. Comments will be accepted until midnight Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 25.
We can and must stop the EPA from approving further applications of this poison. Chlormequat is part of the family of "Quat" agrichemicals. We've already seen an explosion of Parkinsons-related paraquat lawsuits. Things will only get worse if this awful chemical is approved and sprayed on millions of acres of grain crops, ending up in foods we eat every day.
Chlormequat is also very persistent in the environment — it's been found to be one of the most commonly detected pesticide residues in countries that use it.
In 2018, the Agency allowed chlormequat on imported oats, wheat, barley, and some animal products. Without a scientific basis, the allowed tolerance levels were increased on some of these commodities in 2020. Ultimately, this decision paved the way for what we see now - the introduction of this very concerning and highly toxic agrichemical into U.S. food production.
The EPA wants YOUR INPUT. Comments will be accepted until midnight Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 25.
We can and must stop the EPA from approving further applications of this poison. Chlormequat is part of the family of "Quat" agrichemicals. We've already seen an explosion of Parkinsons-related paraquat lawsuits. Things will only get worse if this awful chemical is approved and sprayed on millions of acres of grain crops, ending up in foods we eat every day.
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