A long-relied-upon study declaring the weedkiller glyphosate safe has been retracted, reopening debate over the health risks of the chemical used across much of American agriculture.
The New York Times reported that the 2000 study, which concluded that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, posed no human health risk, was withdrawn last month by the journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, citing serious ethical concerns over author independence.
The study had been a cornerstone of regulatory decisions for decades and was widely cited as evidence supporting the Environmental Protection Agency's position that glyphosate is safe when used as directed.
The journal's editor in chief, Martin van den Berg, said the paper relied heavily on unpublished studies from the agrochemical company Monsanto and failed to properly disclose financial ties, adding that he had lost confidence in its conclusions.
Emails uncovered through litigation later showed Monsanto scientists were deeply involved in drafting and shaping the paper, with company employees expressing hope it would become the definitive reference on glyphosate safety.
Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, said the company's role did not amount to authorship and maintained that glyphosate remains the most extensively studied herbicide in history.
The EPA continues to consider glyphosate safe but faces a court-ordered deadline in 2026 to reexamine its safety following legal challenges from environmental and farmworker groups.
"This is a seismic, long-awaited correction of the scientific record," said Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, a pediatrician and epidemiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
"It pulls the veil off decades of industry efforts to create a false narrative that glyphosate is safe," Landrigan said. "People have developed cancers, and people have died because of this scientific fraud."
Dr. Bruce Lanphear, an expert in environmental neurotoxins at Simon Fraser University, said the EPA should act immediately. "There also need to be consequences, real financial penalties that reflect medical costs and human suffering," he said.
Traces of glyphosate have been detected in common foods and in human urine samples, though residue levels have declined after some companies stopped applying the chemical shortly before harvest.
Thousands of lawsuits have accused Monsanto of causing non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with Bayer paying more than $10 billion to settle roughly 100,000 claims without admitting wrongdoing.
The renewed scrutiny arrives as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. oversees the Make America Healthy Again agenda, which has pushed federal agencies to reevaluate environmental and chemical exposures.
In May 2025, the MAHA Commission released a comprehensive report that addressed glyphosate directly, describing it as a widely used herbicide with disputed health effects.
The report cited studies linking glyphosate exposure to cancer, liver inflammation, and developmental issues, while also noting that FDA and USDA testing shows most food residues remain within federal safety limits.
It said federal reviews have not established a direct causal link when glyphosate is used according to label directions and warned against precipitous regulatory changes that could disrupt agriculture.
The MAHA report also raised concerns about corporate influence in chemical research and called for continued scientific review rather than immediate bans.
While Kennedy has not announced specific follow-up actions targeting glyphosate, the report indicates that an updated federal health assessment of common herbicides is expected in 2026.
As the EPA approaches that deadline, critics are expected to argue that reliance on the now retracted 2000 study undermines past safety determinations.
Senior leaders at the Environmental Protection Agency have held at least six meetings in recent weeks with members of the Make America Healthy Again movement, as EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin signals closer alignment with its priorities.
The meetings underscore the growing influence of MAHA activists within the Trump administration, as they press for tighter scrutiny of vaccines and chemical exposures.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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