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 12 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