- In the early 1970s, Monsanto introduced Roundup, a herbicide marketed as safe and effective, quickly becoming a cornerstone of modern agriculture.
- In 2017, California listed glyphosate, Roundup's key ingredient, as a carcinogen under Proposition 65, which was upheld by the California State Supreme Court. This decision was reaffirmed by a California appellate court in 2018.
- Revealed documents exposed a pattern of corporate misconduct, including ghostwriting research, suppressing unfavorable studies and colluding with regulators to downplay glyphosate's risks.
- Roundup has been linked to increased rates of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and autism, emphasizing the power of grassroots advocacy.
In the early 1970s, Monsanto introduced Roundup, a herbicide hailed as a revolutionary tool for farmers. Marketed as safe and effective, it quickly became a cornerstone of modern agriculture. But decades later, the story of Roundup has taken a darker turn, revealing a web of corporate malfeasance, regulatory collusion and environmental devastation. This saga, chronicled in "The Fight Against Monsanto's Roundup: The Politics of Pesticides," edited by Mitchel Cohen, underscores the high stakes of the ongoing battle against pesticide use and corporate control of agriculture.
The turning point came in March 2017, when California moved to list glyphosate, Roundup's key ingredient, as a carcinogen under Proposition 65. Monsanto fought back, taking the case to the California State Supreme Court. But in July 2017, the court upheld the decision, marking a significant victory for activists and scientists who had long warned of the herbicide's dangers. A year later, on April 19, 2018, a California appellate court reaffirmed the ruling, solidifying glyphosate's classification as a known carcinogen.
These legal battles were fueled by the release of internal Monsanto documents, which exposed a disturbing pattern of corporate misconduct. According to the New York Times, Monsanto engaged in ghostwriting research, suppressed unfavorable studies and colluded with regulators to downplay glyphosate's risks. The documents also revealed that Monsanto executives bribed scientists, manipulated data and ghostwrote academic publications to bolster the company's claims of glyphosate's safety.
A senior Environmental Protection Agency official was implicated in efforts to quash a federal review of the chemical.
Dr. Jonathan Latham, executive director of the Bioscience Resource Project, described the revelations as evidence of systemic deception. He warned about how regulators set up secret committees to deliberate, deceived the media and the public and covered up the evidence that human exposure to glyphosate caused tremendous harm.
The fallout from these revelations has been profound. In 2018, a California jury awarded Dewayne Johnson, a school groundskeeper who developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after prolonged exposure to Roundup, $289 million in damages. Attorney Brent Wisner, who represented Johnson, called the documents a “look behind the curtain,” exposing Monsanto's efforts to stop unfavorable studies and engage in “amoral propaganda and lobbying.”
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at the time working as an attorney fighting against Monsanto, emphasized how the data against the company showed a clear pattern of deception and corruption, with Monsanto executives regularly lying to regulators and scientists to conceal the risks associated with exposure to Roundup.
The impact of Roundup extends beyond its carcinogenic properties. Researchers have linked glyphosate and other pesticides to a rise in autism rates among children. Monsanto's aggressive marketing of genetically engineered seeds, designed to withstand heavy pesticide use, has led to increased chemical application on farmland, exacerbating environmental degradation.
This story is part of a larger narrative about the chemicalization of agriculture, a trend that began in the mid-20th century. Rachel Carson's 1962 book "Silent Spring" was a seminal work that exposed the dangers of pesticides and inspired the modern environmental movement. Today, the fight against Monsanto and other agrochemical giants echoes Carson's call to rethink humanity's relationship with nature.
The battle over Roundup is not just about one chemical; it's about the systemic issues of corporate control, regulatory failure and the urgent need for sustainable agriculture. The fight against Roundup is far from over, but the victories achieved so far serve as a testament to the power of grassroots advocacy and the importance of holding corporations accountable.
Watch this video discussing the essays in "The Fight Against Monsanto's Roundup: The Politics of Pesticides," edited by Mitchel Cohen.
This video is from the BrightLearn channel on Brighteon.com.
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