A pilot study of chlormequat in food and urine from adults in the United States from 2017 to 2023

Abstract

Chlormequat chloride is a plant growth regulator whose use on grain crops is on the rise in North America. Toxicological studies suggest that exposure to chlormequat can reduce fertility and harm the developing fetus at doses lower than those used by regulatory agencies to set allowable daily intake levels. Here we report, the presence of chlormequat in urine samples collected from people in the U.S., with detection frequencies of 69%, 74%, and 90% for samples collected in 2017, 2018-2022, and 2023, respectively. Chlormequat was detected at low concentrations in samples from 2017 through 2022, with a significant increase in concentrations for samples from 2023. We also observed high detection frequencies of chlormequat in oat-based foods. These findings and chlormequat toxicity data raise concerns about current exposure levels, and warrant more expansive toxicity testing, food monitoring, and epidemiological studies to assess health effects of chlormequat exposures in humans. IMPACT: This study reports the detection of chlormequat, an agricultural chemical with developmental and reproductive toxicity, in the U.S. population and U.S. food supplies for the first time. While similar levels of the chemical were found in urine sampled from 2017 to 2022, markedly increased levels were found in samples from 2023. This work highlights the need for more expansive monitoring of chlormequat in U.S. foods and in human specimens, as well as toxicological and epidemiological study on chlormequat, as this chemical is an emerging contaminant with documented evidence of low-dose adverse health effects in animal studies.

Keywords: Biomonitoring; Children’s health; Endocrine disruptors; Pesticides.

Fig. 1. Chlormequat concentrations in urine from individuals residing in the U.S. at three time points.

Chlormequat concentrations for each individual urine sample are represented by single dots with bars at the mean and error bars representing +/- standard error. Urinary concentrations of chlormequat are expressed as µg chlormequat per g creatinine on a linear scale (A) and log scale (B). Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric ANOVA with Dunn’s multiple comparisons test was used to test statistical significance (***p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001).