In this week’s FOIA round-up, public records requests reveal pollution from U.S. mining sites is contaminating American water supplies without being treated, researchers use FOIA documents to reveal mishandling of fentanyl distribution by the Federal Drug Administration, and new records raise ethical concerns over travel expenses of senior advisor to Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie.

Does your right to know which companies are receiving your tax dollars outweigh those companies’ rights to competitive secrets? That’s the question at stake in an upcoming Supreme Court case set to be heard in April, and the result could either cement the public’s right to know or severely restrict the ability to track the flow of tax dollars into private companies.

A number of people at different employers have made complaints about being harassed and bullied by Dr. Daniel Fabricant for the past several years. Yet, after a stint at the Food and Drug Administration, he remains the CEO of the largest dietary supplement lobbying group in the nation and treasurer of its Political Action Committee.

Public records helped tell some important stories this week, ranging from the hidden dangers of the food we eat to the data that increasingly shapes our lives. Here’s some inspiration for your own transparency fight.

Author of the “Underground Steroid Handbook,” Daniel Duchaine is a controversial figure in the bodybuilding world, once described as a “cross between Andy Kaufman and Albert Einstein, with some Bart Simpson thrown in.” A recent release of Federal Bureau of Investigation records on Duchaine reveal him as not only an expert on masking the use of anabolic steroids in athletes, but also an expert at masking their trafficking from the FBI.

A lot of stories would just never come to life unless someone thought to request information about it. Sometimes those requests are inspired by a tip from a source or just a hunch a reporter has. Sometimes its filing just to see what comes back.

Sometimes just one FOIA request can change how we think about everything - and sometimes it takes a whole fleet of requests. Whether you’re a veteran public records guru or someone just starting to get interested in government transparency, here’s some creative uses of public records we’ve seen and tips you can use.

Earlier this week, people with mouths across America were stunned to hear that the lifelong recommendation to floss one’s teeth goes unsupported by research - yet another case testing the assumption that the federal government knows best when it comes to caring for and treating our human bodies. Add to the list the ever-ongoing concerns surrounding one of the most controversial dental elements ever to be used: mercury.

In conjunction with the announcement today of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize winners, MuckRock is launching a project to recreate, expand upon and check back in on past Pulitzer winners in the investigative reporting category using public records requests.