2019. Safety and regulations A 2010 review found that the use of Stevia rebaudiana sweeteners as replacements for sugar might benefit children, people with diabetes, and those wishing to lower their intake of calories. Although both steviol and rebaudioside A have been found to be mutagenic in laboratory in vitro testing, these effects have not been demonstrated for the doses and routes of administration to which humans are exposed. Two 2010 review studies found no health concerns with Stevia rebaudiana or its sweetening extracts. Used as an extract, the leaves of the plant have been used traditionally by the Indians in Paraguay as a contraceptive. In experiments with rats, there was found a reduction in fertility of from 57 to 79 percent compared with a control group. The WHO's Joint Experts Committee on Food Additives has approved, based on long-term studies, an acceptable daily intake of steviol glycoside of up to 4 mg/kg of body weight. In 2010, The European Food Safety Authority established an acceptable daily intake of 4 mg/kg/day of steviol, in the form of steviol glycosides. Meanwhile, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center warns that "steviol at high dosages may have weak mutagenic activity," and a review "conducted for" the Center for Science in the Public Interest notes that there are no published carcinogenicity results for rebaudioside A (or stevioside). In August 2019, the US FDA placed an import alert on Stevia leaves and crude extracts – which do not have GRAS status – and on foods or dietary supplements containing them due to concerns about safety and potential for toxicity. Availability and legal status by country or area The plant may be grown legally in most countries, although some countries restrict its use as a sweetener. The legally allowed uses and maximum dosage of the extracts and derived products vary widely from country to country. Argentina: available as of 2008, regulatory status uncertain Australia: All steviol glycoside extracts were approved in 2008. Brazil: stevioside extract approved as food additive since 2005. Canada (as of November 2012) Steviol glycosides became available as a food additive on 30 November 2012. Stevia rebaudiana leaf and extracts are available as dietary supplements. Chile: available as of 2008, regulatory status uncertain China: available since 1984, regulatory status uncertain Colombia: available as of 2008, regulatory status uncertain European Union: Steviol glycosides were approved and regulated as food additives by the European Commission