The Lacuna Project

lacuna (n.) a gap in a record where something should be

Independent research. Not affiliated with any government, agency, or company.

Exhibit 103

EPA Inspector General memo on Monsanto's role in Kier and Kirkland (2013)

Exhibit 103 ยท Journalism reporting an agency document

EPA Inspector General memo on Monsanto's role in Kier and Kirkland (2013)

An EPA OIG memo, from an inquiry opened in 2017, concluded that Monsanto's David Saltmiras made substantive contributions to Kier and Kirkland's 2013 genotoxicity review in Critical Reviews in Toxicology while credited only in the acknowledgments, which the memo calls a form of research misconduct. 2012 emails show Kirkland rejecting co-authorship for Saltmiras because it would undermine the review's independent status. EPA's 2020 glyphosate assessment relied on the review for data and for summaries of 16 other studies; EFSA cited it in 2023. EPA knew of the OIG finding and did not disclose it. Kirkland denies ghostwriting; Bayer says the memo used limited documents. Taylor & Francis opened an investigation after Oreskes and Kaurov requested retraction.

Source
Mother Jones, reporting an EPA Office of Inspector General memo
Date
23 June 2026
Grade
Reported
Document
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2026/06/epa-roundup-glyphosate-monsanto-ghostwritten-herbicide-cancer-bayer/
Accessed
2026-11-09
Cited by
Findings citing this exhibit

Cited by

Finding MED-4.6
Reported An EPA Inspector General memo found that a Monsanto scientist made substantive, uncredited contributions to a 2013 glyphosate review. EPA relied on the review in 2020, and EFSA cited it in 2023.