EPA Continued to Use Glyphosate Study Despite Knowledge of Ghostwriting

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been aware for nearly a decade that a significant 2013 study concluding glyphosate is safe was ghostwritten by Monsanto. This information was revealed in an EPA memo obtained by Mother Jones. The EPA cited this study in its 2020 assessment of glyphosate, despite an internal investigation indicating that the paper concealed Monsanto's involvement. The publisher of the paper, Taylor & Francis, has initiated an investigation into the ghostwriting claims following a request from a Harvard professor. The EPA's Inspector General's Office opened an investigation into the study in 2017, which was published in the journal Critical Reviews in Toxicology with independent authors Larry Kier and David Kirkland listed. The memo stated that Monsanto contributed significantly to the report's content, raising concerns about research misconduct. Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, stated that the EPA's allegations were based on limited documentation. The EPA has not publicly addressed why it continued to rely on the study despite acknowledging its compromised nature. Recent studies have raised further concerns about glyphosate's safety, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned the EPA's 2020 assessment, citing serious errors in evaluating human health risks associated with glyphosate exposure.