Journal retracts 2000 glyphosate safety review, renewing scrutiny of Roundup

Last month the scientific journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology retracted a 2000 review that had concluded glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, posed no human health risk, a move that has renewed questions about the widely used herbicide. The paper, authored by three independent scientists, had long been cited as a cornerstone of regulations and research finding Roundup safe.

Emails disclosed in litigation showed Monsanto employees helped conceive and contribute to the study, with company staff praising their “hard work” and one expressing hope it would become "'the' reference on Roundup and glyphosate safety." The journal’s editor cited “serious ethical concerns regarding the independence and accountability of the authors,” saying the article relied heavily on unpublished Monsanto studies and noting indications that authors had received financial compensation beyond a mention of Monsanto support in the acknowledgments.

Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, defended the disclosure and said the listed authors had control of the manuscript. The Environmental Protection Agency still considers glyphosate safe but faces a 2026 deadline to re-examine its safety after legal action by environmental, food-safety and farmworker groups.

An E.P.A. spokesman said the agency was aware of the retraction, that its assessment had not relied solely on the paper, and that it did not intend to rely on it going forward.

Key Topics

Health, Glyphosate, Roundup, Monsanto, Bayer, Environmental Protection Agency