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Monsanto Leaks Suggest It Tried To Kill Cancer Research On Roundup Weed Killer (rt.com)

Danny Hakim reports via The New York Times (Warning: article may be paywalled; alternate source): Documents released Tuesday in a lawsuit against Monsanto raised new questions about the company's efforts to influence the news media and scientific research and revealed internal debate over the safety of its highest-profile product, the weed killer Roundup. The active ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate, is the most common weed killer in the world and is used by farmers on row crops and by home gardeners. While Roundup's relative safety has been upheld by most regulators, a case in federal court in San Francisco continues to raise questions about the company's practices and the product itself.

The documents underscore the lengths to which the agrochemical company goes to protect its image. Documents show that Henry I. Miller, an academic and a vocal proponent of genetically modified crops, asked Monsanto to draft an article for him that largely mirrored one that appeared under his name on Forbes's website in 2015. Mr. Miller could not be reached for comment. A similar issue appeared in academic research. An academic involved in writing research funded by Monsanto, John Acquavella, a former Monsanto employee, appeared to express discomfort with the process, writing in a 2015 email to a Monsanto executive, "I can't be part of deceptive authorship on a presentation or publication." He also said of the way the company was trying to present the authorship: "We call that ghost writing and it is unethical." Mr. Miller's 2015 article on Forbes's website was an attack on the findings of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization that had labeled glyphosate a probable carcinogen, a finding disputed by other regulatory bodies. In the email traffic, Monsanto asked Mr. Miller if he would be interested in writing an article on the topic, and he said, "I would be if I could start from a high-quality draft." The article appeared under Mr. Miller's name, and with the assertion that "opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own." The magazine did not mention any involvement by Monsanto in preparing the article.

7 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. So What? by AK+Marc · · Score: 5, Funny

    Company kills people for profit, then covers it up?

    How is this news? It's called "capitalism".

    1. Re:So What? by Pentium100 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      When a discussion about genetically modified food comes up, I always say that the technology itself is great, but also, the management and some stock holders of Monsanto need to get a one way ticket to Siberia.

    2. Re:So What? by AK+Marc · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The other is that the pro-GMO people insist that anti-GMO means that if you eat GMO, that you die.

      GMO is bad because of mono crop issues.

      GMO is bad because resistance to herbicides induces over-use of them.

      GMO is bad because GMO has been used to have plants make toxins. So GMO food can contain poison. And there are no regulations about this or any other use of GMO.

      GMO is bad because it has been used to make kill-genes, even if only in the lab, and between that and mono-crop the results of a wide-spread release could cause massive destruction.

      GMO is bad because Monsanto claims it's harmless, and when Monsanto says something, the opposite is more likely true.

      But the pro-GMO crowd doesn't talk about the reasonable objections. Instead, it's all about the strawman.

    3. Re:So What? by rtb61 · · Score: 5, Informative

      GMO will have great benefits if done properly. No poison crops, no cross breeding in the wild with related organisms, no self destruct genes. Do it smart in controlled environments ie highly genetically modified algae or more specifically kelp et al and you can grow anything you want in a salt water tank, any protein, sugar, carbohydrate, salt, any flavour or texture, low allergen because the plant does not need to protect itself as much growing in a protected environment. Done in major production facilities very close to demand and producing year round. As a bonus millions of hectares of farm land freed to become natural parks creating a healthier environment for us all. Energy is key.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    4. Re:So What? by jenningsthecat · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Those that cling to "glyphosate causes cancer" and "Monsatan is the devil" are the same folks who believe in chemtrails, vaccines causing autism, and countless other health conspiracies.

      Not true. I don't know enough to have an opinion on glyphosate as a carcinogen, I don't believe in chemtrails, I advocate childhood vaccination, and I get flu shots every year. And I still say Monsanto is evil, because they've proved it over and over again. BTW, thanks for the "Monsatan" moniker - I'm definitely going to use that.

      --
      'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
    5. Re: So What? by black3d · · Score: 5, Funny

      No worries. Keep in mind, if the merger with Bayer goes ahead, we'll be switching across to "Bayerzebub".

      --
      "The true measure of a person is how they act when they know they won't get caught." - DSRilk
  2. Re:Other things that are probable carcinogens by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The point is that they tried to suppress the research.

    The question is how risky is glycophosphate that they felt the need to try to suppress research.

    This is like Donald Trump and Jared Kushak's meeting with the russians.

    A) no meeting reported...
    B) there was a meeting with one russian lawyer about adoptions and was meaningless.
    C) uh.. okay so there was a meeting with 2 russians.
    DEF) Increasingly more russians.
    G) Okay so it was supposed to be about russians providing damaging clinton/DNC information
    H) Uh.. Okay so I do have a relationship with the participants going back for years and I did say, "I love it!" when I thought it was about clinton.
    I) Oops.. some of the russians are ex intelligence officers and/or have intelligence training.

    Monsanto is at step B).

    Is it going to turn out that glycophosphates are as carcinogenic as saccharine (not much/really have to literally eat the stuff by the handful) or is it going to be as carcinogenic as dioxins (which were also wonderful and safe until they were not).

    Do we stop at step B.. or are we going to step R?

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.