Exposed

A powerful memoir of a molecular biologist’s courageous fight against corporate retaliation after revealing dangerous biosafety failures in biotech labs.

When molecular biologist Becky McClain raised urgent alarms about biosafety lapses at her biotech lab at Pfizer, she expected concern—not retaliation. Instead, her warnings about dangerous, genetically engineered viruses that were handled without following standard safety protocols were met with hostility, intimidation, and ultimately, devastating illness after a workplace exposure changed her life forever.

Exposed is McClain’s riveting memoir of her transformation from dedicated scientist to the nation’s first successful biotech whistleblower. Chronicling her battle against a powerful industry and its culture of secrecy, McClain reveals the high personal cost of speaking out, the legal showdown that rocked Pfizer, and the alarming gaps in biosafety and regulatory oversight that put workers—and the public—at risk.

In a post-pandemic world, McClain’s story is more urgent than ever: a wake-up call to the dangers lurking behind laboratory doors, a testament to the power of truth, and a courageous demand for accountability in science. Exposed is not just a personal journey—it’s a public reckoning with the ethical failures and hidden hazards of 21st-century biotechnology.

Author Biography

Becky A. McClain, a retired 23-year career biotech worker and research scientist, is known as the first successful biotech whistleblower who spoke and reported on biolab safety issues of public concern. On April 1, 2010, McClain won a federal court whistleblower trial against Pfizer, Inc., which centered on free speech rights concerning biosafety and public health.