How to Detox From Chlormequat Chloride
How to Detox From Chlormequat ChlorideChlormequat chloride has garnered attention recently in the news. The Environmental Working Group carried out a study from 2017 through 2023, testing the levels of chlormequat chloride in blood samples in people living in America. The agricultural chemical was found in 80% of the blood samples. 2023 data showed significantly higher levels than previous years. Chlormequat chloride isn't approved for use as a pesticide in the United Sates, so how is it getting in our food? Let's look at where we're exposed to the chemical and how to detox from chlormequat chloride.
What is Chlormequat Chloride?
Chlormequat chloride (let's call it CCC for short) is technically neither a pesticide nor a herbicide. Primarily used on oats and similar grains, the agricultural chemical is used to stunt the growth of the stalks of oats. Oats, when they are grown to maturity, will start to bend and hang over. This makes it harder for farmers to harvest the oats. So, chlormequat chloride is used to stunt the growth of the stalks, making the plant stand straight up and easier to harvest. The chemical is not currently approved for use on food crops in the United States.
What the News Reports Missed
What the News Reports Missed What we're not hearing in the news is that the controversial chemical is used extensively in the floral industry. Because ornamental flowers have to survive long after being cut and transported, sturdier stalks mean longer-lasting flowers. Chlormequat chloride *is* currently approved for this use in the U.S.
Effects of Chlormequat Chloride on the Body
In Denmark in the 1980s, researchers experimented on pigs and found that animals fed oats laced with CCC had impaired reproduction. Further studies in mice found that CCC didn't hurt female rodents, but did impair the sperm of male mice. (Source) More recent studies on rats found that CCC delayed puberty in young make rats. (Source) One 2020 rat study found that maternal exposure to CCC during pregnancy stunted the growth of the fetus.
The exact mechanism whereby these effects occur are still unknown, but one study suggests it may cause stress on the endoplasmic
reticulum inside cells. (The organelle responsible for protein folding, storage of ions, and many other functions.) This ER stress caused decreased testosterone in rats. (Source)
CCC can also be a neurotoxin, affecting the production of acetylcholinesterase, an important enzyme that processes the vital neurotransmitter acetylcholine. (Source)
How Did it Start Getting in Our Food?
CCC is not approved for use on crops grown within the United States currently. It is extensively used in other countries, however, and in 2018 the EPA started allowing it in imported foods. Previously we couldn't import crops grown with the chemical. In 2020 the EPA relaxed the restrictions even further, increasing the allowable levels of CCC found in imported oats. (Source)
Currently, despite the documented harms of the chemical, the EPA is considering allowing CCC to be used on oats and other crops in the U.S.
How to Detox from Chlormequat Chloride
Fortunately, the chemical is quickly metabolized and excreted from the body. 94% of the chemical is gone from the body within 24 hours after ingestion or exposure. (Source) We don't need any special detoxes to get rid of it, as our body will do it naturally. You can support your body's natural detox pathways by eating adequate fiber, getting antioxidants from fruits and vegetables from your diet (optimally certified organic), and drinking purified/filtered water.
The best way how to detox from chlormequat chloride really is avoidance. If you eat oats or foods containing oats, make sure they're USDA certified organic, as the chemical is not allowed in organic production. If you're handling flowers that aren't certified organic, make sure to wash your hands, handle with gloves, and limit touching the floral arrangements.
