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Shannon Osaka

@shannonosaka.bsky.social

20K followers 400 following 250 posts

climate *zeitgeist* reporter for @washingtonpost.com. DM for Signal.

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Jul 31

So so excited that my book on microplastics and the rise of plastic has been picked up by Harper 🥹🥹

Thank you to agent extraordinaire Alice Whitwham at @cheneyagency.bsky.social, amazing editor Sarah Haugen at Harper, and family & friends for believing in this project.

A deal from Publishers Marketplace that reads:

"Climate reporter at the Washington Post Shannon Osaka's THE MIRACLE MATERIAL: HOW PLASTIC CONQUERED OUR WORLD, TRANSFORMED OUR LIVES, AND ENTERED OUR BODIES, blending reporting, history, and science to tell the hidden story of how plastic, which once promised to transform our lives for the better, has become the most insidious pollutant of all—tracing the 20th century's utopian dreams for the material, research into the health consequences of microplastics, and solutions both local and global; an account of the fossil-fuel based polymer that has built our systems of consumerism, convenience, and disposability, to Sarah Haugen at Harper, in a major deal, in a pre-empt, by Alice Whitwham at The Cheney Agency (NA). Rights:
beniamino@cheneyagency.com"

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Reposted by Shannon Osaka

Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 14d

I guess I have to post a screenshot from the article in order to get rid of the headline-and-photo preview that Bluesky is ludicrously flagging as adult content, lol uh anyway hope you'll read it, gift link www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/w...

Repeatedly, he insisted there was “no downside” to avoiding it.

But there is a downside: the risks of the fevers that acetaminophen can treat. It is the only drug that obstetricians commonly recommend to combat pain or fever during pregnancy, because options like ibuprofen can harm the fetus.

Decades of studies have shown a clear association between fevers early in pregnancy and a specific set of birth defects, including neural tube defects, some heart defects and cleft palates, said Dr. Eric Benner, a neonatologist at Duke University. “The evidence is really strong,” he said.

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · 14d

Breast, thyroid, and colon cancer rates are skyrocketing in young adults. Some of my colleagues break down the reasons why:

www.washingtonpost.com/health/inter...

This is an arrow plot showing how rates of cancer in young adults, aged 15 to 49, have changed over the past 20 years. Rates of breast, thyroid, and colon and rectum cancer have increased, while the rate of lung and bronchus cancer has decreased.

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · 18d

“Measuring itself is a political act with political consequences,” Dr. Pralle said. “And clearly the Trump administration does not want to do anything to alleviate a problem like climate change.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/c... from @maxinejoselow.bsky.social

A Trump Administration Playbook: No Data, No Problem

www.nytimes.com

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · 19d

More in the paper published in Nature, from researchers @minghaoqiu.bsky.social , @marshallburke.bsky.social, and others:

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Wildfire smoke exposure and mortality burden in the US under climate change - Nature

Nature - Wildfire smoke exposure and mortality burden in the US under climate change

www.nature.com

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · 19d

The "smoke season" is also lengthening. Between 2006 and 2019, the amount of days where average smoke concentration was over 1 microgram/m3 was about a month. In 2023, it was over 6 months 😮

Chart showing the lengthening of the smoke season in 2020-2025 compared to 2006-2019. Dots represent days where average smoke exposure exceeds 1microgram/m3.

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · 19d

This chart shows where wildfires most affected the air. I was in the Pacific Northwest in 2020 and ... it was not pleasant.

Map of the US showing where the mean particulate matter from wildfire smoke polluted the air the most. 2020 and 2021 stand out with large exposure in the West and PNW. 2023 stands out for East Coast and Midwest exposure.

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · 19d

By 2050, the researchers estimate we will see 70,000 deaths per year from climate change-induced wildfire smoke. We will also truly be in a "new normal" -- the average year over the next two decades will look like 2024 in terms of quantity of smoke.

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · 19d

It's not your imagination: Wildfire smoke in the U.S. has dramatically worsened since 2019. According to a new study, it's already killing 41,000 people a year - and it's poised to get much worse.

new from me @johnmuyskens.bsky.social and @sadbumblebee.buzz

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Record wildfire smoke kills more people each year than car crashes. It’s about to get worse.

The past six summers have been the smokiest on record. New research shows that smoke could become the costliest consequence of climate change for Americans.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Shannon Osaka

Washington Post Guild @postguild.bsky.social · 22d

Statement from Post Guild Leadership: The Washington Post Guild condemns the unjust firing of columnist Karen Attiah

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · 27d

I corresponded with DOE today and they confirmed they have no intention of withdrawing the report.

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Reposted by Shannon Osaka

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 27d

A National Guard report accidentally emailed to the Post says veterans and active-duty troops view the D.C. deployment with "shame and alarm" @alexhorton.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

National Guard documents show public ‘fear,’ troops’ ‘shame’ over D.C. presence

Internal documents reviewed by The Post reveal, with rare candor, how domestic missions rooted in politics risk damaging Americans’ trust in the military.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · 28d

Some context on the Hyundai raid from @evanhalper.bsky.social and myself: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

How the Hyundai raid could upend Trump’s dream of more U.S. factories

President Trump said he stood up for Georgia workers by detaining 300 South Korean nationals. Experts say he risks killing thousands of U.S. manufacturing jobs.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · 29d

thank you Carl!!! 🥹

Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Sep 5

No, sorry -- I work at WaPo and the Post has given me the time, resources, and space to report this story over the past six months. That's very rare in journalism. My reporting has never been interfered with or compromised.

But if you DM me an email I would be happy to send you a PDF :).

Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Sep 5

He's a very difficult man to Google 😂

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Sep 4

Sorry Dan -- yes for anyone it now asks you to create an account to read the gift link. If you want to DM me an email I can send you a PDF, but it won't include the scrolly graphics so some parts may be a little confusing.

I appreciate your interest in reading!

Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Sep 4

Timing definitely bad on this one 😅

Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Sep 4

There is much more in the article itself that I can't get into. This is difficult science that takes a long time. But even after decades of research, we continue to be exposed to these chemicals every single day.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

The health risks from plastics almost nobody knows about

Researchers have linked phthalates, chemicals found in plastics, to premature birth, infertility and ADHD.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Sep 4

That link should be a gift link! But it will still require you to put in your email.

Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Sep 4

More recently, researchers have found that babies exposed to higher levels of phthalates in utero are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. They are also more likely to be born prematurely.

ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/...

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Sep 4

Scientists found that phthalates act as "anti-androgens", blocking production of testosterone in utero. In boys, that can lead to decreased fertility much later in life, and higher rates of birth defects.

"Without enough testosterone, testicles don’t descend fully, a condition known as cryptorchidism; sometimes, the urethra emerges on the side of the penis instead of on the tip, a condition known as hypospadias. Later in life, men with these conditions are more likely to suffer from infertility or low sperm counts."

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Sep 4

Back in the 1980s, scientists first started noticing that male rats, exposed to phthalates in utero, displayed a host of reproductive problems. They had birth defects and lasting infertility.

In the early 2000s, researchers started noticing similar symptoms in adult men.

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Sep 4

Phthalates are part of a class of chemicals called "endocrine disrupting chemicals" -- that means they can tweak hormones. Developing embryos and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to endocrine disruptors.

“If any of these chemicals get into a woman while she’s pregnant, the chemicals will go right across into the baby,” said Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician and director of the program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College. “The placenta provides no protection at all.”

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Sep 4

Phthalates -- also known as "everywhere chemicals" -- are added to plastics, particularly vinyl, to make them more stretchy or flexible. Those chemicals are also in the blood of virtually every person in the US; and, for women who are pregnant, they can slip into the fetus as well.

This is a 3-D graphic of a fetus in utero. The graphic shows phthalates entering the placenta and the umbilical cord.

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Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · Sep 4

For the last several months, I've been digging through endless scientific literature on what happens when pregnant mothers are exposed to plastic chemicals in their food, water, and everyday household products.

The result is this story.

I hope you'll take the time to read.
wapo.st/4g3ZoFc

The health risks from plastics almost nobody knows about

Researchers have linked phthalates, chemicals found in plastics, to premature birth, infertility and ADHD.

wapo.st

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