Abstract
For every scientist who raises a concern about a product, there seems to be a corporation to contradict him (or her). We’ve seen this happen again and again. Tobacco industry executives famously hid research done by their own scientists that showed the hazards of cigarettes, and they misled lawmakers and regulators about the addictive properties of nicotine. Many other corporate powers, including those in the agrochemical industry, have long histories of defending themselves against claims that they covered up the dangers of injury from asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Agent Orange, or other chemicals.
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Notes
- 1.
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- 2.
Eric S. Sachs (Monsanto), e-mail to a group of professors titled “Invitation to Author a Policy Brief in the Series ‘Perspectives on Science Matters,’” August 8, 2013, pp. 31, 33, https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2303692/david-shaw-missstateuniverdocs.pdf.
- 3.
Tom Philpott, “These Emails Show Monsanto Leaning on Professors to Fight the GMO PR War,” Mother Jones, October 2, 2015, http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2015/09/monsanto-professors-gmo-PR.
- 4.
Laura Krantz, “Harvard Professor Failed to Disclose Connection,” Boston Globe, October 1, 2015, http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/10/01/harvard-professor-failed-disclose-monsanto-connection-paper-touting-gmos/lLJipJQmI5WKS6RAgQbnrN/story.html.
- 5.
Nora Benachour and Gilles-Eric Séralini, “Glyphosate Formulations Induce Apoptosis and Necrosis in Human Umbilical, Embryonic, and Placental Cells,” Chemical Research in Toxicology 22, no. 1 (2009): 97–105, doi: 10.1021/tx800218n.
- 6.
GMOSeralini, “What Were the Study’s Findings?,” http://www.gmoseralini.org/faq-items/what-were-the-studys-findings/.
- 7.
Gilles-Eric Séralini et al., “Republished Study: Long-Term Toxicity of a Roundup Herbicide and a Roundup-Tolerant Genetically Modified Maize,” Environmental Sciences Europe 26, no. 14 (June 24, 2014), doi:10.1186/s12302-014-0014-5.
- 8.
Susan Bardocz et al., “Seralini and Science: An Open Letter,” Independent Science News, October 2, 2012, https://www.independentsciencenews.org/health/seralini-and-science-nk603-rat-study-roundup/.
- 9.
Carey Gillam, “Keeping Secrets from Consumers: Labeling Law a Win for Industry-Academic Collaborations,” Huffington Post, July 14, 2016, https://usrtk.org/uncategorized/keeping-secrets-from-consumers-labeling-law-a-win-for-industry-academic-collaborations/.
- 10.
E-mail exchanges dated November 2012 obtained by U.S. Right to Know, https://www.usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Goodman-Nov.-22012RG-000664-000001.pdf.
- 11.
Carey Gillam, “Keeping Secrets from Consumers: Labeling Law a Win for Industry-Academic Collaborations,” Huffington Post, July 14, 2016, https://usrtk.org/uncategorized/keeping-secrets-from-consumers-labeling-law-a-win-for-industry-academic-collaborations/; e-mail exchanges dated November 2012 obtained by U.S. Right to Know, https://www.usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/GoodmanRG-000126-000001.pdf.
- 12.
GMOSeralini, “Editor of Food and Chemical Toxicology Is Obliged to Give Prof. Séralini’s Team Right of Reply after Retracting NK603 and Roundup Study,” May 19, 2014, http://www.gmoseralini.org/editor-of-food-and-chemical-toxicology-is-obliged-to-give-prof-seralinis-team-right-of-reply-after-retracting-nk603-and-roundup-study/.
- 13.
Gilles-Eric Séralini, “Why Glyphosate Is Not the Issue with Roundup: A Short Overview of 30 Years of Our Research,” Journal of Biological Physics and Chemistry 15, no. 3 (2015): 111–119, doi:10.4024/12SE15R.jbpc.15.03, http://www.gmoseralini.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Seralini-career-JBPC_2015.pdf.
- 14.
Channa Jayasumana et al., “Drinking Well Water and Occupational Exposure to Herbicides Is Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease, in Padavi-Sripura, Sri Lanka,” Environmental Health 14, no. 6 (January 18, 2015), doi:10.1186/1476-069X-14-6.
- 15.
Rick Goodman, Daniel Goldstein, and John Vicini, e-mail exchanges, October 6–7, 2014, catalogued by U.S. Right to Know, https://www.usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/GoodmanSriLanka1RG-000010-000001.pdf.
- 16.
Carey Gillam, “The True Inside Story of How a College Professor Sells Out to Monsanto,” AlterNet, January 30, 2016, http://www.alternet.org/food/true-inside-story-how-college-professor-sells-out-monsanto.
- 17.
Internal Revenue Service Form 990 filings by Council for Biotechnology Information, 2014, 2015.
- 18.
Henry Miller and Bruce Chassy, “Scientists Smell a Rat in Fraudulent Genetic Engineering Study,” Forbes, September 25, 2012, http://www.forbes.com/sites/henrymiller/2012/09/25/scientists-smell-a-rat-in-fraudulent-genetic-engineering-study/#7f0c8c1c1ff1.
- 19.
Eric Sachs and Bruce Chassy, e-mail exchanges, September 13, 2011, obtained by U.S. Right to Know, https://www.usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/BruceChassy4.pdf.
- 20.
Eric Sachs and Bruce Chassy, e-mail exchanges, January 2012, catalogued by Mother Jones, https://www.motherjones.com/files/chassychina.pdf.
- 21.
Bruce Hammond and Bruce Chassy, e-mail exchanges, April 24, 2012, obtained by U.S. Right to Know, https://www.usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/BruceChassy6.pdf.
- 22.
Bruce Chassy, e-mail to Gregory Knott (University of Illinois), October 20, 2010, obtained by U.S. Right to Know, https://www.usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/BruceChassy10-1.pdf.
- 23.
Bruce Chassy and Eric Sachs, e-mail exchange, October 19, 2011, obtained by U.S. Right to Know, https://www.usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/BruceChassy11.pdf.
- 24.
Bruce Chassy and Sheryl Evertowski, e-mail exchange, October 19, 2011, obtained by U.S. Right to Know, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2303693-bruce-chassyuofillinoisdocs.html.
- 25.
Monica Eng, “Why Didn’t an Illinois Professor Have to Disclose GMO Funding?,” WBEZ, March 15, 2016, https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/why-didnt-an-illinois-professor-have-to-disclose-gmo-funding/eb99bdd2-683d-4108-9528-de1375c3e9fb.
- 26.
Eric Lipton, “Food Industry Enlisted Academics in G.M.O. Lobbying War, Emails Show,” New York Times, September 5, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/us/food-industry-enlisted-academics-in-gmo-lobbying-war-emails-show.html.
- 27.
George Kimbrell, in conversation with the author, January 2016.
- 28.
Kevin Folta and Lisa Drake, e-mail exchange, October 23, 2014, obtained by U.S. Right to Know, https://www.usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/glad-to-sign-on.pdf.
- 29.
Monsanto Company and nine professors, e-mail exchanges, August 2013, catalogued by Mother Jones, https://www.motherjones.com/files/monsanto-sachs-juma.pdf.
- 30.
Kevin Folta, “Anti-GMO Activism and Its Impact on Food Security,” Genetic Literacy Project, December 4, 2014, https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/12/04/anti-gmo-activism-and-its-impact-on-food-security/.
- 31.
Eric Lipton, “Food Industry Enlisted Academics in G.M.O. Lobbying War, Emails Show,” New York Times, September 5, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/us/food-industry-enlisted-academics-in-gmo-lobbying-war-emails-show.html.
- 32.
Christie Ly (Ketchum for Council for Biotechnology Information) and Kevin Folta, e-mail exchange, May 30, 2013, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2303691-kevin-folta-uoffloridadocs.html#document/p84/a237719.
- 33.
Eric Lipton, “Food Industry Enlisted Academics in G.M.O. Lobbying War, Emails Show,” New York Times, September 5, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/us/food-industry-enlisted-academics-in-gmo-lobbying-war-emails-show.html.
- 34.
Emily Schmidt (Ketchum) to Kevin Folta, e-mail, July 31, 2013, obtained by U.S. Right to Know, http://www.gmo.news/kevin-folta-gmo-monsanto-emails-university-of-florida.txt.
- 35.
Kevin Folta, “From This Expert,” GMO Answers, July 29, 2013, https://gmoanswers.com/experts/kevin-folta?page=9.
- 36.
New York Times, DocumentCloud, 2303691-kevin-folta-uoffloridadocs, p. 104, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2303691-kevin-folta-uoffloridadocs.html#document/p84/a237719.
- 37.
Kevin Folta, “Kevin Folta on Winning Borlaug Ag Comm Award, Year of Attacks from Anti-GMO Activists,” Genetic Literacy Project, April 21, 2016, https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/04/21/kevin-folta-reflects-winning-ag-comm-award-year-attacks-anti-gmo-activists/.
- 38.
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, “Dr. Kevin Folta Chosen as 2016 Borlaug CAST Communication Award Winner,” April 25, 2016. For general information about the award, see http://www.cast-science.org/borlaug_cast_communication_award/.
- 39.
Gary Ruskin, in conversation with the author, January 2017.
- 40.
New York Times, DocumentCloud, 2303691-kevin-folta-uoffloridadocs, p. 168, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2303691-kevin-folta-uoffloridadocs.html#document/p84/a237719.
- 41.
Monsanto Company, e-mails to Kevin Folta, January 2012, catalogued by Mother Jones, https://www.motherjones.com/files/webmd.pdf.
- 42.
Anna Lappé, “Big Food Uses Mommy Bloggers to Shape Public Opinion,” Al Jazeera America, August 1, 2014, http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/8/food-agriculturemonsantogmoadvertising.html.
- 43.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, In Re: Roundup Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 3:16-md-02741-VC, Document 246-2, filed April 20, 2017, p. 2, https://usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/MDLLetNothingGomotion.pdf.
- 44.
Vani Hari, “The Unethical Tactics of the Chemical Industry to Silence the Truth,” Food Babe (blog), October 6, 2016, http://foodbabe.com/2016/10/06/the-unethical-tactics-of-the-chemical-industry-to-silence-the-truth/.
- 45.
Vani Hari, in conversation with the author, October 2016.
- 46.
Andy Kroll and Jeremy Schulman, “Leaked Documents Reveal the Secret Finances of a Pro-Industry Science Group,” Mother Jones, October 28, 2013, http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/10/american-council-science-health-leaked-documents-fundraising.
- 47.
Alex Berezow, “Glyphosate: A Slow But Steady Vindication,” American Council on Science and Health, September 30, 2016, http://acsh.org/news/2016/09/30/glyphosate-slow-steady-vindication-10239.
- 48.
Alex Berezow, “Glyphosate: NYT’s Danny Hakim Is Lying to You,” American Council on Science and Health, March 15, 2017, http://www.acsh.org/news/2017/03/15/glyphosate-nyts-danny-hakim-lying-you-11001.
- 49.
Kim McGuire, “Museum of Natural Science Cancels Controversial Scientist’s Lecture,” Houston Chronicle, March 29, 2016, http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Museum-of-Natural-Science-cancels-controversial-7216299.php.
- 50.
American Chemistry Council, Campaign for Accuracy in Public Health Research, January 2017, http://campaignforaccuracyinpublichealthresearch.com/about/.
- 51.
Michele Simon, “Best Public Relations Money Can Buy—A Guide to Food Industry Front Groups,” Huffington Post, May 16, 2013, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michele-simon/best-public-relations-mon_b_3273159.html.
- 52.
Nancy L. Swanson, “Glyphosate Re-assessment in Europe Is Corrupt: Toxicology,” July 2014, https://www.academia.edu/7595699/Glyphosate_reassessment_in_Europe_is_corrupt_Toxicology.
- 53.
Frederick vom Saal et al., “Response to Glyphosate IARC Attack No, California, Roundup Won’t Give You Cancer—LA Times 4-28-17,” https://usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Response-to-Kelly-and-Miller-LA-Times-Glyphosate-4-28-17-FVS-NOTES-bb2-F…-1-3.pdf.
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Gillam, C. (2017). Spinning the Science. In: Whitewash. Island Press, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-833-6_7
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