The journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology has retracted a 2000 paper claiming glyphosate is safe for humans, citing undisclosed Monsanto involvement and reliance on unpublished studies. This development highlights ongoing concerns about the herbicide's regulation in the US. Meanwhile, stingless bees in Peru's Amazon have gained legal rights in two regions for the first time.
In a significant move, editors of the journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology retracted a widely cited 2000 paper titled “Safety evaluation and risk assessment of the herbicide roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, for humans” by Williams et al. The retraction, published in 2026, revealed that the evaluation relied solely on unpublished studies from Monsanto, the glyphosate inventor later acquired by Bayer AG. Monsanto employees contributed to the paper without disclosure, and the authors received undisclosed financial compensation from the company.
The notice also pointed out that the paper excluded multiple long-term chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity studies available in 1999, despite the authors' awareness of them. It described the weight-of-evidence approach as sound in principle but potentially biased by these omissions and influences. This paper had long supported arguments that glyphosate does not cause cancer and was referenced by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in safety assessments.
Glyphosate, a key ingredient in Roundup, is applied to millions of acres yearly, including pre-harvest on grains like wheat and oats, leading to residues in food products. Previous reporting in Bee Culture noted its sub-lethal effects on honey bees, such as cognitive decline, impaired learning and memory, gut biome disruption, and premature aging (Conrad, 2018). Over 165,000 lawsuits have been filed against Bayer regarding Roundup and glyphosate.
In a related environmental advance, two Peruvian regions—Satipo province in the Central Amazon and Nauta in the northeast—passed ordinances in early January 2026 granting legal rights to stingless bees. These bees, vital for pollinating crops like cacao, coffee, and avocados, as well as much of the rainforest flora, face threats from deforestation, climate change, and pesticides. An online petition on Avaaz.org seeks to extend these protections nationwide. The move recognizes the bees' cultural and medicinal importance to indigenous Amazon communities.
