Pamela Ferdinand

Pamela Ferdinand is an award-winning journalist and former MIT Knight Science Journalism fellow who covers the commercial determinants of public health (private sector activities that affect our health). She has worked as a journalist for The Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Miami Herald and contributed to National Geographic News, The Economist, NPR, and more.
She has covered everything from politics, education, parenting, and plane crashes to hurricanes, hackers, and neuroscience. She’s also a lecturer in journalism at Lake Forest College in Illinois.

Big Tobacco promotes e-cigarettes, undermines health protections through U.S. business groups worldwide
Pamela Ferdinand
June 30, 2026

PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ may be linked to multiple sclerosis, especially in women
Pamela Ferdinand
June 16, 2026

Pesticide use around homes and farms linked to childhood leukemia, brain tumors
Pamela Ferdinand
June 8, 2026

Nearly 300 studies link the common pesticide chlorpyrifos to multi-organ damage, DNA disruption, and chronic disease
Pamela Ferdinand
June 3, 2026


Reducing use of personal care products quickly lowers toxic chemicals in the body
Pamela Ferdinand
April 30, 2026

Solo screen time is a ‘unique peril’ for young children already at risk, researchers report
Pamela Ferdinand
April 10, 2026

Ultra-processed foods may raise risk of preterm birth and pregnancy complications, study finds
Pamela Ferdinand
April 9, 2026

Pharma bribery corrupts health care, puts patients at risk, new review warns
Pamela Ferdinand
March 25, 2026

Air pollution tied to brain aging, memory loss later in life, study finds
Pamela Ferdinand
February 27, 2026

One exposure. Twenty generations later, the damage is still unfolding.
Pamela Ferdinand
February 22, 2026

‘Safe’ BPA substitutes tied to fertility damage, fetal harm, and generational effects, review finds
Pamela Ferdinand
February 18, 2026

Nanoplastics sneak into brain cells, disrupting puberty and fertility hormones, new study finds
Pamela Ferdinand
February 14, 2026

Pacifiers, even those labeled “BPA-free,” expose babies to toxic chemical, study finds
Pamela Ferdinand
January 30, 2026


‘Ubiquitous’ flame retardants are linked to higher heart disease risks, major review finds
Pamela Ferdinand
December 23, 2025

Ultra-processed foods damage health in ways that calories don’t explain, new study says
Pamela Ferdinand
December 18, 2025

Social media fuels smoking and vaping among children, especially girls, study shows
Pamela Ferdinand
December 12, 2025

Hormone-disrupting chemicals contaminate breast milk, global review shows; scientists say breastfeeding is still best
Pamela Ferdinand
December 4, 2025

Higher screen time linked to brain abnormalities and ADHD symptoms in children, study shows
Pamela Ferdinand
November 21, 2025

World’s most used insecticides damage male fertility in rodents, researchers say
Pamela Ferdinand
November 13, 2025


Common preservative may harm female fertility across generations, study finds
Pamela Ferdinand
October 24, 2025

Are your baby’s clothes toxic? New study finds harmful chemicals in infant textiles
Pamela Ferdinand
October 20, 2025

Common male cancer linked to hormone-disrupting chemicals, scientists warn
Pamela Ferdinand
October 14, 2025

Even tiny doses of glyphosate can cause health problems across generations, new study in mice shows
Pamela Ferdinand
September 30, 2025

Plastics pose ‘urgent threat’ to children’s lifelong health, major review warns
Pamela Ferdinand
September 29, 2025

Alcohol industry uses tobacco tactics to downplay deadly risks and block reforms, studies show
Pamela Ferdinand
September 19, 2025


Phthalates in everyday products may fuel breast cancer, new study warns
Pamela Ferdinand
September 5, 2025

Pollution, toxic chemicals, and plastics drive millions of heart-related deaths, major review finds
Pamela Ferdinand
September 3, 2025

Vaping triples the risk of cigarette smoking in young people, a major review shows
Pamela Ferdinand
August 19, 2025

Aspartame sweetener may disrupt blood vessels, raising stroke risk, first-of-its-kind study suggests
Pamela Ferdinand
August 14, 2025

‘No safe level’: Babies are harmed by even tiny amounts of nitrate in drinking water, study finds
Pamela Ferdinand
August 12, 2025

Unhealthy food makers target youth with pervasive ads that fuel long-term health risks, decades of research shows
Pamela Ferdinand
June 23, 2025

Endocrine disruptors impair women’s fertility, may lead to PCOS, major review finds
Pamela Ferdinand
June 9, 2025

Diquat herbicide poisons the gut, may severely damage other organs, research shows
Pamela Ferdinand
June 3, 2025

Tiny titanium dioxide particles in food raise blood sugar, disrupt gut hormones in mice, study finds
Pamela Ferdinand
May 12, 2025

Common weedkiller glyphosate may be linked to liver disease epidemic, study warns
Pamela Ferdinand
May 5, 2025

Everyday chemicals linked to cognitive decline in older adults, especially men, new study reports
Pamela Ferdinand
May 2, 2025

Private equity in health care puts patients’ lives in danger, studies show
Pamela Ferdinand
April 28, 2025

Blocking mobile phone internet for two weeks may boost mood, mental health, and attention
Pamela Ferdinand
April 24, 2025

Plastics may disrupt the body’s clock, raise risk of chronic disease, study finds
Pamela Ferdinand
April 14, 2025

Social media is fueling the childhood obesity crisis, global study warns
Pamela Ferdinand
April 8, 2025


PFAS in drinking water linked to increased cancer risk, groundbreaking study finds
Pamela Ferdinand
March 20, 2025

Glyphosate poses widespread risks to female fertility and reproductive health: new research
Pamela Ferdinand
March 15, 2025

Menthol cigarettes linked to higher death risk, especially for Black smokers
Pamela Ferdinand
March 13, 2025

Billions in drug and medical device company payments to medical specialists may compromise patient care, reports show
Pamela Ferdinand
February 27, 2025

Gambling industry copies Big Tobacco’s playbook to downplay harms and avoid regulation, study warns
Pamela Ferdinand
February 26, 2025
