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According to documents recently released in a Monsanto lawsuit that charges a man’s lymphoma was caused by Roundup, Mr. Miller – a prominent Stanford University academic – allowed Monsanto to write an op-ed for Forbes magazine in his name touting the safety of the product.
Mr. Miller is a Robert Wesson Fellow in Scientific Philosophy and Public Policy at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Monsanto called him into service after the world began to notice Roundup is linked with lymphoma and other cancers, as well as liver and kidney damage.
Multinational Pesticide Producer Monsanto
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a branch of the World Health Organization (WHO), ruled that glyphosate used in Roundup and other Monsanto poisons, was a “probable carcinogen.” Monsanto promptly sent an email to Mr. Miller through Eric Sachs, a Science, Technology & Outreach Lead at Monsanto. The company invited Miller to write an op-ed to be published in a major publication supporting the safety of Roundup, prior to the release of the IARC panel results.
Monsanto Outreach Lead Eric Sachs wrote: “Henry, Are you interested in writing more on the topic of the IARC panel, its process, and controversial decision? I have background and can provide information if needed. The outcome is embargoed but will be communicated as early as next week. Eric”
This brief email shows Miller and Sachs had worked together previously, and that Monsanto directly asked Miller to help fight the IARC pronouncement.
Miller wrote back to Monsanto: “I would be if I could start from a high-quality draft,” adding he was “inundated with projects.”
Sachs then offered to provide Miller with a draft of what they wanted to publish: “We have a draft nearly done and will send to you by tomorrow,” he wrote. Just hours later, Sachs sent Miller a draft with a note: “Here is our draft…It’s still quite rough… but a good start for your magic…” .
Miller later passed this draft, with only minor edits, on to Forbes magazine, without disclosing that Monsanto had written most of it.
When Forbes learned of Miller’s 2015 arrangement in the summer of 2017, Forbes removed the piece from its web site, though CBS preserved and published most of it in a PDF.
Miller attacks IARC for Monsanto
In his Monsanto-ghostwritten article, Milller cautioned against trusting any U.N. agency. He argued that the EPA and ECHA (European Chemical Agency) had not previously found the active ingredients to be likely carcinogens.
Miller echoes unsubstantiated Monsanto Claims
After comparing “hazard” and “harm,” Miller dutifully repeated unsubstantiated the Monsanto claim: “[T]he reality is that glyphosate is not a human health risk even at levels of exposure that are even 100 times higher than the human exposures that occur under conditions consistent with the product’s labeling.”
More and more research disputes this Monsanto claim, as do plaintiffs in several Roundup cancer lawsuits.
The Case of Henry I. Miller
The case of Henry I. Miller is emblematic of just how Monsanto works with writers to both massage and manipulate public opinion for profit and also protect itself from liability. It is hardly the first time Monsanto has tried to manipulate media and control spin on scientific research.
Monsanto Works to Spin IARC Decision
According to other Monsanto emails about a month before the 2015 IARC decision, Monsanto Product Safety Assessment Strategy Lead William Heydens promoted ghost-writing research for academics to sign as their own. Mr. Heydens wrote in an email to toxicologist Donna Farmer titled “IARC planning”: “An option would be to add Greim and Kier or Kirkland to have their names on the publication, but we would be keeping the cost down by us doing the writing and they would just edit & sign their names so to speak. Recall that is how we handled Williams Kroes & Munro, 2000.”
Monsanto has repeatedly denied that this email proves they ghost-wrote the Williams, Kroes, and Munro article. Monsanto claims that any evidence which shows Monsanto collusion with writers or EPA officials has been taken out of context.
The problem for Monsanto is that these emails are far from the only evidence that Monsanto attempted to control controversy surrounding its poison products. Meanwhile, Monsanto continues to spin and obfuscate as its own company emails show it to be a manipulator, trying to convince regulators, customers, and the general public of its product’s safety, despite increasing evidence to the contrary.
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by Matthews & Associates
