A quarter-century after its publication, one of the most influential research articles on the potential carcinogenicity of glyphosate has been retracted for "several critical issues that are considered to undermine the academic integrity of this article and its conclusions." In a retraction notice dated Friday, November 28, the journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology announced that the study, published in April 2000 and concluding the herbicide was safe, has been removed from its archives. The disavowal comes 25 years after publication and eight years after thousands of internal Monsanto documents were made public during US court proceedings (the "Monsanto Papers"), revealing that the actual authors of the article were not the listed scientists – Gary M. Williams (New York Medical College), Robert Kroes (Ritox, Utrecht University, Netherlands), and Ian C. Munro (Intertek Cantox, Canada) – but rather Monsanto employees.

Known as "ghostwriting," this practice is considered a form of scientific fraud. It involves companies paying researchers to sign their names to research articles they did not write. The motivation is clear: When a study supports the safety of a pesticide or drug, it appears far more credible if not authored by scientists employed by the company marketing the product.

You have 73.89% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.