Sharon Lerner

Investigative reporter, ProPublica

Her “Toxic Gaslighting” investigation, published by ProPublica and The New Yorker, reconstructed chemist Kris Hansen’s research into PFAS in human blood. Lerner described how people inside 3M responded to findings showing widespread exposure and how Hansen’s further research was curtailed. The story examines knowledge kept within a corporation, the communication of risk and responsibility towards people exposed to pollution. Her environmental reporting, repeatedly recognised by the Society of Environmental Journalists, confronts industrial interests with questions about public health and the oversight of chemicals.