Brian Bienkowski

About Brian Bienkowski

Brian Bienkowski is the managing editor of The New Lede. He is a veteran journalist with more than 15 years of experience covering the environment and human health. Prior to joining TNL, he was the senior editor of Environmental Health News for nearly a decade where he oversaw the newsroom and two regional bureaus. He was also the founder, producer and host of the Agents of Change in EJ podcast from 2020 to 2024. Bienkowski has received multiple awards for his editing and reporting, including honors from the North American Agricultural Journalists, the Association of Health Care Journalists, Columbia Journalism School, Hunter College and the Society of Environmental Journalists. He has a masters in environmental journalism from Michigan State University and lives in northern Michigan.

Posts by Brian Bienkowski:

FDA approves three natural food dyes amid push to eliminate synthetics

By Brian Bienkowski

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three new natural food dyes, making good on a promise to push for a phaseout of synthetic dyes in food.

Is there PFAS in your pint?

By Brian Bienkowski

Many popular beers — from both small breweries to large domestic and international ones — contain types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) linked to cancer and other health problems, according to a new study published in Environmental Science and Technology that looked at PFAS in 94 samples of beer.

Another PFAS-containing pesticide headed for US registration

By Brian Bienkowski

US regulators are poised to approve a pesticide made with a controversial class of toxic chemicals, stoking concerns of new risks for farms across the country.

Industry braces for change as feds target synthetic food dyes

By Brian Bienkowski

As synthetic food dyes increasingly come under public and federal scrutiny over health concerns — in part bolstered by the Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, movement — slightly altered flavors in some of Americans’ favorite snacks are just one of the concerns and challenges with switching to dyes made from natural sources.

Common plastic chemicals linked to 356,000 annual heart disease deaths worldwide

By Brian Bienkowski

Chemicals used to make plastics more flexible are linked to more than 356,000 deaths annually across the globe, creating what researchers called a “substantial global health burden,” according to a new peer-reviewed study.

FDA moves to phase out petroleum-based food dyes

By Brian Bienkowski

Federal health officials announced plans Tuesday to phase out synthetic food dyes made from petroleum, marking a significant shift in how the U.S. regulates chemical additives in food.