U.S. Right to Know

The pesticide industry has spent decades building a highly effective influence operation in Washington D.C., shaping how pesticides are regulated and how American agriculture operates. Its political influence did not begin with the Trump administration and has extended across both Republican and Democratic administrations.

Key findings Tobacco companies belong to U.S. Chamber of Commerce affiliates in 80 countries. Industry executives hold leadership or advisory roles in about 27% of chapters. Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco dominated AmCham leadership roles globally. Tobacco companies remain embedded in influential U.S. business groups worldwide, giving the industry a discreet and powerful channel to weaken regulation and undermine public health, a new study finds.

A newly declassified Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory assessment from May 2020 concluded that all of the conditions necessary for an accidental release of a laboratory-modified coronavirus were present at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted.

Newly released intelligence records show that as recently as January 2025, the U.S. intelligence community planned to create an independent panel of outside experts to study how the COVID-19 pandemic began, suggesting government officials considered the question sufficiently unresolved to warrant additional review even after years of investigation and the public release of a 2023 intelligence assessment.

Key findings Higher combined PFAS exposure, largely driven by the chemical PFHxS, was associated with roughly 50% greater odds of MS overall and about 60% greater odds among women. PFHxS, used in stain-resistant fabrics, food packaging, and firefighting foams, showed the strongest and most consistent association with MS. For each increase in PFHxS levels, the odds of MS rose by about 53% overall and 56% in women.

Key findings Using pesticides at home, having parents who work with pesticides (especially in farming), and living near farmland were the exposures most often linked to childhood leukemia and brain tumors. The cancer risks were highest with pesticide exposure during pregnancy or early childhood, when children’s bodies and brains are still developing and more sensitive to harmful chemicals.

Key findings: A review of nearly 300 studies summarizes evidence that chlorpyrifos may harm multiple systems throughout the body, including the brain, hormones, liver, gut microbiome, muscles, reproductive organs, and bones. The review describes DNA damage, chromosome instability, and epigenetic changes that may alter how genes function long after exposure. Some harmful effects appear at exposure levels below those considered safe under current pesticide exposure testing standards.

Neonicotinoids are the most widely used class of insecticides in the world. They are often used as seed coatings on crops such as corn and soybeans, as well as on turf, ornamental plants, and pets as flea and tick treatments. A growing body of scientific evidence raises concerns about the human health risks of neonicotinoid exposure. Studies in animals and humans link neonicotinoid exposure to neurotoxicity and reproductive toxicity.

CIA analysts concluded multiple times that COVID-19 most likely originated from a laboratory, but intelligence leaders repeatedly altered those findings in official summaries later offered to the public, a CIA whistleblower testified Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

E-cigarettes can quickly lodge toxic metals deep into the lungs, where they may damage tissue, according to new research that provides detailed evidence about risks of vaping. Even short-term exposure produces a measurable buildup of toxic metals in lung tissue, potentially increasing the risk of chronic lung problems, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions.