Unsafe amounts of weed killer chemical found in some oat-based food, report finds

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Oatmeal and some other popular oat-based breakfast foods, including granola bars, may contain unsafe amounts of weed killer, according to a report.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), an environmental organization that specializes in research and advocacy, conducted a study on 29 oat-based foods.

It found that all but five contained what is called potentially dangerous amounts of the main ingredient in Roundup, a weed-killing product.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup. And the World Health Organization said it can cause cancer.

Last week, a jury at the Superior Court of California awarded $289 million in damages to a groundskeeper whose attorney argued that Roundup caused his terminal cancer.

According to the study, the chemical was detected in popular children’s breakfast cereals – including Cheerios, Lucky Charms and Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats.

According to The American Council of Science and Health, the EWG has come under fire in the past for their methodology and for "overstating" risks of some chemicals.

To view the full study, click here.

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