Major scientific journal retracts 24-year-old monsanto roundup safety study over ethics violations

In a significant blow to Monsanto’s defense of its controversial Roundup herbicide, the journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology has formally retracted a influential 2000 study that claimed glyphosate poses no health risks to humans. The retraction comes nearly a quarter-century after the paper’s publication, citing “serious ethical concerns” about the research’s integrity.

The retracted study, titled “Safety Evaluation and Risk Assessment of the Herbicide Roundup and Its Active Ingredient, Glyphosate, for Humans,” made sweeping claims that Monsanto’s glyphosate-based weed killers caused no cancer risks, reproductive harm, or adverse effects on human and animal endocrine systems. For decades, this research served as a cornerstone of Monsanto’s scientific defense against mounting health concerns surrounding Roundup, the world’s most widely used herbicide.

Journal Editor-in-Chief Martin van den Berg announced the retraction due to questions about “the independence and accountability of the authors” and concerns over “the academic integrity of the carcinogenicity studies presented.” While the retraction notice doesn’t specify all details, it references internal company emails that later revealed Monsanto’s influence over the research—raising serious questions about corporate interference in supposedly independent scientific studies.

This retraction adds to growing scrutiny of glyphosate’s safety profile and highlights ongoing concerns about corporate influence in environmental health research. The move comes as communities worldwide grapple with pesticide regulations and as thousands of lawsuits continue against Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018.