Open Letter on Retraction and Pledge to Boycott Elsevier

The background to this open letter is described in Retracting Seralini Study Violates Science & Ethics (ISIS report).

This letter has been signed by 1402 scientists and 4034 non-scientists from 100 different countries - add your name

This letter has been subject to cyber-attack by a group on Facebook called GMO LOL whose members have been signing on as fake scientists. These people are insulting concerned scientists who are acting in good faith; just the sort of people you want messing with your food, or telling you what food is safe. We have put in extra checks and our many friends are reporting them to us.

To: Wallace Hayes

Editor in Chief

Food and Chemical Toxicology (FCT) Cc Elsevier

re: “Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize,” by GE Séralini et al, published in Food and Chemical Toxicology 2012, 50(11), 4221-31

Your decision [1] to retract the paper is in clear violation of the international ethical norms as laid down by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), of which FCT is a member. According to COPE, the only grounds for retraction are (1) clear evidence that the findings are unreliable due to misconduct or honest error, (2) plagiarism or redundant publication, or (3) unethical research. You have already acknowledged that the paper of Séralini et al (2012) contains none of those faults.

This arbitrary, groundless retraction of a published, thoroughly peer-reviewed paper is without precedent in the history of scientific publishing, and raises grave concerns over the integrity and impartiality of science. These concerns are heightened by a sequence of events surrounding the retraction:

the appointment of ex-Monsanto employee Richard Goodman to the newly created post of associate editor for biotechnology at FCT

the retraction of another study finding potentially harmful effects from GMOs (which almost immediately appeared in another journal)

the failure to retract a paper published by Monsanto scientists in the same journal in 2004, for which a gross error has been identified.

The retraction is erasing from the public record results that are potentially of very great importance for public health. It is censorship of scientific research, knowledge, and understanding, an abuse of science striking at the very heart of science and democracy, and science for the public good.

We urge you to reverse this appalling decision, and further, to issue a fulsome public apology to Seralini and his colleagues. Until you accede to our request, we will boycott Elsevier, i.e., decline to purchase Elsevier products, to publish, review, or do editorial work for Elsevier.

1. “Elsevier announces article retraction from journal Food and Chemical Toxicology”, PRNewswire, 28 November 2013, http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/elsevier-announces-article-retraction-from-journal-food-and-chemical-toxicology-233754961.html

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Article first published 04/12/13