Dutch approval of Glyphosate pesticide was influenced by controversial U.S. expert

The Dutch pesticide authority, CTGB, based its statement that herbicide glyphosate is not carcinogenic partly on publications by a statistician, Kenny Crump. The American has previously worked for asbestos, diesel, and lead industries, according to an investigation by Zembla. This determination led to glyphosate being approved for use again in November 2023 for another 10-year period.

Zembla has further found that Crump recently worked for glyphosate manufacturer Bayer. This conflict of interest, however, was not mentioned in the CTGB's approval report, the news program reported.

In its approval report, CTGB stated that tumors found in animals exposed to chemicals could be due to "chance." This was a determination based on a publication by Crump. CTGB further cited another Crump study to argue that population studies linking cancer risk to farmers might not be reliable.

"This is a man who has defended benzene and asbestos," said Naomi Oreskes, a professor of the history of science at Harvard University. "These are substances that have been definitively proven to cause cancer," she told Zembla.

Glyphosate is one of the most popular chemical herbicides on the market. It was introduced to the market in the 1970s by the American company, Monsanto, under the brand name Roundup. Farmers use glyphosate at the start of the planting season to clear fields of weeds.

But the the WHO labeled glyphosate as likely being carcinogenic in 2015. In the Netherlands, glyphosate is banned for non-commercial use. It was reapproved for commercial use in the Euuropean Union for 10 years in 2023.

The CTGB did not address Crump’s conflicts of interest or his previous work for other industries.