Publisher reviewing 2 more papers on glyphosate safety over ghostwriting claims
7 hours ago
- #Glyphosate Controversy
- #Scientific Integrity
- #Retraction Investigations
- Taylor & Francis is investigating two papers in Critical Reviews in Toxicology for alleged ghostwriting by Monsanto (now Bayer) employees regarding glyphosate safety.
- The papers under scrutiny are a 2015 review led by Helmut Greim and a 2013 paper by Larry Kier and David Kirkland, both cited by regulators like the EPA.
- Internal Monsanto emails from 2017 reveal discussions of ghostwriting, including an employee suggesting adding scientists' names while Monsanto did the writing.
- The retraction of a 2000 glyphosate review by Gary Williams in 2025 followed similar ghostwriting claims, sparking debate; 66 researchers are calling for its reversal.
- Authors of the 2015 and 2013 papers deny ghostwriting and defend their work's integrity, while Bayer calls the allegations "absurd" and politically motivated.
- Glyphosate is highly contentious: the WHO classifies it as "probably carcinogenic," while the EPA maintains it is unlikely to cause cancer in humans.
- Researchers Alexander Kaurov, Jason MacLean, and Naomi Oreskes have urged retractions, arguing the papers skewed glyphosate regulation and cancer risk assessments.
- Glyphosate was removed from residential Roundup products in 2023 but remains in agricultural use, with regulatory and legal battles ongoing globally.