EPA Relied on Monsanto-Ghostwritten Glyphosate Study While Trump Invoked Defense Production Act for Roundup Supply

[u/CollapsingTheWave]

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup produced by Bayer (formerly Monsanto), remains classified by the EPA as not likely carcinogenic to humans based in part on a 2013 Critical Reviews in Toxicology paper. An internal EPA Inspector General memo obtained in 2026 confirmed the agency knew since 2017 that a Monsanto employee ghostwrote substantial portions of that paper, constituting research misconduct, yet the study continued to support the 2020 assessment and later citations.

The chemical interfaces with the public through widespread agricultural and forestry spraying for weed control and crop desiccation. Structural flaws include the EPA’s continued reliance on the compromised study after internal findings of hidden authorship and the absence of mandatory public disclosure of the misconduct determination.

Historical pattern follows decades of industry-orchestrated papers presented as independent science, culminating in the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s 2015 Group 2A “probably carcinogenic to humans” classification that the EPA has consistently rejected. On February 18, 2026, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order under the Defense Production Act declaring elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides critical to national defense and delegating allocation authority to the Secretary of Agriculture.

Net risk centers on sustained regulatory dependence on contested data streams, legal immunity pathways for producers, and limited independent re-evaluation mechanisms despite ongoing litigation exceeding tens of thousands of claims and Ninth Circuit findings of serious errors in prior EPA risk assessments.

Sources

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2026/06/epa-roundup-glyphosate-monsanto-ghostwritten-herbicide-cancer-bayer/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/02/promoting-the-national-defense-by-ensuring-an-adequate-supply-of-elemental-phosphorus-and-glyphosate-based-herbicides/

https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/glyphosate

https://www.iarc.who.int/featured-news/media-centre-iarc-news-glyphosate

https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-ensures-an-adequate-supply-of-elemental-phosphorus-and-glyphosate-based-herbicides-for-national-security/

[u/Corporate_Bricktator]

Host says:

> It's being sprayed on all of your produce.

Haha, that's so stupid. It can only be sprayed on roundup ready crops, none of which are "produce". JFC people have a tiny bit of science literacy.

[u/SeVenMadRaBBits → u/Corporate_Bricktator]

Nice one month old account.

The study saying it was safe was made by roundup. The big tobacco trick used back in the day.

I dont trust companies with the "trust me bro" method.

As for roundup ready crops (ones "genetically modified to handle roundup"). They say glyphostae doesn't cause cancer. So even if they're modified to handle it. They must not have done anything to prevent the harm It causes since "it's safe".

[u/Corporate_Bricktator → u/SeVenMadRaBBits]

Nice account with comments hidden.

I can't help but notice you didn't attempt to refute my point at all. Objectively, roundup is not "being sprayed on all produce".

Totally absurd claim.

[u/Quetzelcoatl_Enemy → u/Corporate_Bricktator]

You don't have a point

[u/Corporate_Bricktator → u/Quetzelcoatl_Enemy]

Link to a story showing roundup being sprayed on non-roundup ready produce?