U.S. Right to Know

U.S. Right to Know articles

Health EN ↓ 100 episodes

U.S. Right to Know is a nonprofit newsroom and public health research group. We investigate and report on corporate wrongdoing and government failures that threaten our health, environment or food system.

Author

U.S. Right to Know

Category

Health

Podcast website

usrtk.org

Latest episode

Jun 30, 2026

Where to listen?

Podcasts in the app Replaio Radio Coming soon

Podcasts are coming to the app soon. Install now and be the first to see a whole new take on podcasts

Get it on Google Play Install for free Android 5M+ downloads · 4.8 rating iOS soon

Episodes

Energy Department's lab-leak pivot likely not driven by new intelligence, records suggest 15.02.2026

Internal documents suggest the Department of Energy's reported shift on COVID-19 origins was a clarification of misconstrued data rather than a new analytical pivot, revealing deep internal scientific disputes.

Nanoplastics sneak into brain cells, disrupting puberty and fertility hormones, new study finds 14.02.2026

Tiny pieces of plastic, widely found in food, water, and air, can harm the development and function of specialized brain cells that regulate reproduction, new research reports. 

Defense Intelligence Agency considered lab leak scenario in March 2020, new records show 05.02.2026

More than six years after COVID-19 emerged in China and killed millions worldwide, newly released intelligence records show that the Defense Intelligence Agency was evaluating a detailed lab-origin scenario as early as March 2020 — weeks into the pandemic and well before the issue became a subject of public debate.

Pacifiers, even those labeled “BPA-free,” expose babies to toxic chemical, study finds 30.01.2026

Pacifiers can release bisphenol A, a chemical linked to hormone disruption and developmental problems, with the highest levels found in one marketed as “BPA-free,” a new study shows. 

When profit kills: How private equity is eroding health care 21.01.2026

A growing wave of peer-reviewed studies supports the same troubling conclusion: When private equity incentives collide with clinical care, patients—especially those who are sicker, poorer, or harder to treat—are more likely to be killed or harmed.

‘Ubiquitous’ flame retardants are linked to higher heart disease risks, major review finds 23.12.2025

Flame-retardant chemicals widely used in sofas, mattresses, electronics, textiles, and other products are increasingly linked to cardiovascular disease risk and other serious health problems, according to a sweeping scientific review.

Ultra-processed foods damage health in ways that calories don't explain, new study says 18.12.2025

Researchers are getting closer to solving the riddle of how ultra-processed foods harm metabolic, reproductive, and immune health in ways that can't be explained by calories or poor nutrient profile alone.

Is RFK Jr. backing Big Food's drive to overturn tough new state laws? 17.12.2025

Kennedy promotes MAHA while discussing a national food standard that could override state bans on ultra-processed ingredients, raising concerns about federal preemption and Big Food’s influence.

Social media fuels smoking and vaping among children, especially girls, study shows 12.12.2025

Children and teens who spend hours scrolling social media are far more likely to smoke or vape than their peers, with the highest risks seen among girls and heavy users, according to new research.

Congress orders spy agencies to consider declassifying evidence on COVID origins 10.12.2025

New language in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2026 calls on intelligence agencies to declassify intelligence records for public release, potentially lifting a veil of redactions on COVID origins evidence that largely has been kept secret for the past six years.

Hormone-disrupting chemicals contaminate breast milk, global review shows; scientists say breastfeeding is still best 04.12.2025

Breast milk from mothers around the world contains a wide range of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) – such as bisphenols, perfluorinated chemicals, pesticides, flame retardants, and plasticizers – that can disrupt hormones and potentially harm development, a new study finds. The researchers note that human milk is still the best recommended nutrition for infants.

Landmark glyphosate safety study retracted for Monsanto ghostwriting, other ethics problems 03.12.2025

A scientific study that regulators around the world relied on for decades to justify continued approval of glyphosate was quietly retracted last Friday over serious ethical issues including secret authorship by Monsanto employees – raising questions about the pesticide-approval process in the U.S. and globally.  

Critiques of Gates Foundation's agricultural interventions in Africa 01.12.2025

Critics say the Gates Foundation's push to expand chemical-intensive monocrop farming in Africa is exacerbating hunger, worsening inequality and entrenching corporate power in the world’s hungriest region.

Atrazine probably causes cancer in humans, WHO cancer agency says 25.11.2025

The World Health Organization’s cancer research agency has classified atrazine – the second most widely used herbicide in the United States – as “probably carcinogenic to humans,” adding to growing concerns about toxic exposures in the nation’s farm belt. 

Higher screen time linked to brain abnormalities and ADHD symptoms in children, study shows 21.11.2025

Children who spend more time on mobile phones, TVs, and video games may face a higher risk of developing attention problems as they grow, according to a first-of-its kind study.

Atrazine, an endocrine-disrupting herbicide banned in Europe, is widely used in the U.S. 21.11.2025

Atrazine is the second-most widely used weed killer in the U.S., with more than 70 million pounds applied across the nation each year. It is an endocrine disruptor and also linked to various cancers, premature birth and birth defects. It has been banned for use in the European Union since 2004.

World’s most used insecticides damage male fertility in rodents, researchers say 13.11.2025

Neonicotinoid pesticides, the world’s most widely used class of insecticides, are linked to male reproductive toxicity in lab animals, especially at higher doses, according to a new scientific review of two decades of evidence.

Big Food 'transparency' campaign seeks to block tough new food safety laws 12.11.2025

Instead of listening to their customers, the world’s largest food and beverage companies have launched a “transparency” campaign – fronted by a longtime tobacco industry ally – and they are betting their old, tired political playbook will allow them to keep profiting from unhealthy foods. 

Air pollution, even at low levels, may heighten breast cancer risk 06.11.2025

Women who live in areas with more air pollution may face a higher risk of developing breast cancer, according to a new, large-scale study of more than 400,000 women across the United States.

Americans for Ingredient Transparency: Product defense for unhealthy ultra-processed foods 30.10.2025

Americans for Ingredient Transparency is funded by large ultra-processed food and beverage companies, including General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo, and more than a dozen food industry trade associations. 

Common preservative may harm female fertility across generations, study finds 24.10.2025

Propylparaben, a widely used preservative found in shampoos, lotions, packaged foods, and pharmaceuticals, may harm ovarian function and reduce fertility across generations, according to new research.

Are your baby’s clothes toxic? New study finds harmful chemicals in infant textiles 20.10.2025

Infant clothing may expose babies to hundreds of different chemicals used in everything from plastics to pesticides -- including some known to be toxic, a new scientific investigation shows.

Common male cancer linked to hormone-disrupting chemicals, scientists warn 14.10.2025

Chemicals found in everyday products—from plastics and pesticides to cosmetics and non-stick cookware — interfere with the body’s hormone systems in ways that may increase the risk and severity of prostate cancer, according to a new report.

Some ultra-processed foods are as addictive as cigarettes and cocaine 13.10.2025

Ultra-processed foods are industrially formulated with added sugar, artificial sweeteners, additives and flavorings to be highly rewarding and even addictive.

NIH committee green-lighted Wuhan coronavirus experiments despite concerns, emails show 30.09.2025

Recently obtained emails for the first time lay bare the NIH "gain-of-function" review committee's informal vetting of a controversial project in Wuhan, demonstrating the agency’s weak oversight of the potentially dangerous research it funded at the lab where some critics believe the pandemic started.

Listen to the U.S. Right to Know articles podcast in Replaio

Radio and podcasts in one app - free, with no sign-up. Install today and do not miss the launch

Get it on Google Play

Replaio is not a podcast publisher; show names, artwork and audio belong to their authors and are distributed through public RSS feeds.