Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, as well as government oversight.

Need to Get in Touch?

I write about health, science, environmental regulation, government oversight and corruption. I’d like to speak with workers in inspector general offices or in science- and health-related agencies. I take confidentiality seriously.

What I Cover

I cover health and the environment as well as corruption and government oversight. I have written about the Environmental Protection Agency, charting its handling of pesticides, plastic-based fuels and other chemicals. I have reported on a 3M scientist who discovered forever chemicals in human blood and on EPA whistleblowers who were pressured to downplay the harms posed by new chemicals.

My Background

I joined ProPublica in 2022 after seven years as an investigative reporter at The Intercept.

I’ve received numerous local and national awards for my reporting, including being honored by the Society of Environmental Journalists 14 times and by the Newswomen’s Club of New York, which named me its journalist of the year in 2021.

Toxic Gaslighting: How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe

Decades ago, Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people’s bodies. Her bosses halted her work.

May 20, 2024, 6:00 am EDT
Trump’s Anti-Green Agenda Could Lead to 1.3 Million More Climate Deaths. The Poorest Countries Will Be Impacted Most.

Most of the people expected to suffer these temperature-related deaths live in poor countries in Africa and South Asia that are least prepared to cope with the increasing heat from climate change.

November 19, 2025, 5:00 am EST
This Storm-Battered Town Voted for Trump. He Has Vowed to Overturn the Law That Could Fix Its Homes.

Donald Trump has said he will overturn a law that helps communities better weather the effects of climate change. If he follows through, he’ll be reversing an initiative that has disproportionately benefited areas that make up his base.

January 17, 2025, 5:00 am EST
EPA Approved a Fuel Ingredient Even Though It Could Cause Cancer in Virtually Every Person Exposed Over a Lifetime

An EPA document shows that a new Chevron fuel ingredient has a lifetime cancer risk more than 1 million times higher than what the agency usually finds acceptable — even greater than another Chevron fuel’s sky-high risk disclosed earlier this year.

August 4, 2023, 5:00 am EDT

“A Huge Setback”: New EPA Directive Could Weaken Hundreds of Chemical Regulations

May 1, 2026, 3:30 pm EDT
An Open Letter to the Inspectors General Community

March 18, 2026, 5:30 am EDT
Trump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With

January 16, 2026, 5:00 am EST
Under Former Chemical Industry Insiders, Trump EPA Nearly Doubles Amount of Formaldehyde Considered Safe to Inhale

December 8, 2025, 5:00 am EST
House Rep Demands Answers About Delayed EPA Report on PFNA, a Toxic Forever Chemical

October 17, 2025, 12:20 pm EDT
Scientists Completed a Toxicity Report on This Forever Chemical. The EPA Hasn’t Released It.

October 9, 2025, 5:00 am EDT
RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism. Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.

August 20, 2025, 6:00 am EDT
EPA Drops Legal Case Against the GEO Group, a Major Trump Donor, Over Its Misuse of Harmful Disinfectant in an ICE Facility

June 10, 2025, 1:30 pm EDT
The Untold Story of How Ed Martin Ghostwrote Online Attacks Against a Judge — and Still Became a Top Trump Prosecutor

April 24, 2025, 5:00 am EDT
Earthjustice President Describes a “Fundamentally Different” Era of Hostility Toward Environmentalists

April 22, 2025, 3:00 pm EDT

Topics We Cover

Our Biggest Series

Life of the Mother

The New Immigration

Friends of the Court

Sharon Lerner

Need to Get in Touch?

What I Cover

My Background

Toxic Gaslighting: How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe

Trump’s Anti-Green Agenda Could Lead to 1.3 Million More Climate Deaths. The Poorest Countries Will Be Impacted Most.

This Storm-Battered Town Voted for Trump. He Has Vowed to Overturn the Law That Could Fix Its Homes.

EPA Approved a Fuel Ingredient Even Though It Could Cause Cancer in Virtually Every Person Exposed Over a Lifetime

“A Huge Setback”: New EPA Directive Could Weaken Hundreds of Chemical Regulations

An Open Letter to the Inspectors General Community

Trump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With

Under Former Chemical Industry Insiders, Trump EPA Nearly Doubles Amount of Formaldehyde Considered Safe to Inhale

House Rep Demands Answers About Delayed EPA Report on PFNA, a Toxic Forever Chemical

Scientists Completed a Toxicity Report on This Forever Chemical. The EPA Hasn’t Released It.

RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism. Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.

EPA Drops Legal Case Against the GEO Group, a Major Trump Donor, Over Its Misuse of Harmful Disinfectant in an ICE Facility

The Untold Story of How Ed Martin Ghostwrote Online Attacks Against a Judge — and Still Became a Top Trump Prosecutor

Earthjustice President Describes a “Fundamentally Different” Era of Hostility Toward Environmentalists

Need to Get in Touch?

What I Cover

My Background

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