EDC Science Weekly, July 22 – 28, 2020

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:July 28, 2020
Post category:EDC Science Weekly

A summary of articles on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) added to PubMed this week.

Contents: Events, Regulations/Policy, Methods/Tools/Screening, Commentaries, Reviews, Human Health Studies, Laboratory Studies, Exposure/Environment Studies

Events

Webinar: Agents of Change: Amplifying voices of future leaders in environmental health and justice July 30, 1pm US Eastern.

Regulations/Policy

New series, Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. Includes an editorial, EDCs: time to take action; two articles, Endocrine-disrupting chemicals: implications for human health and Endocrine-disrupting chemicals: economic, regulatory, and policy implications; and, there is also a profile in this issue, Andrea Gore: neuroendocrinologist and environmental activist.

Evaluating scenarios toward zero plastic pollution.

Methods/Tools/Screening

Endocrine disrupting chemicals and COVID-19 relationships: a computational systems biology approach.

Cytotoxicity Burst? Differentiating Specific from Nonspecific Effects in Tox21 in Vitro Reporter Gene Assays.

A novel human pluripotent stem cell-based assay to predict developmental toxicity.

An approach to classifying occupational exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals by sex hormone function using an expert judgment process.

Commentaries

The commonly overlooked factor. Commentary on: “Environmental obesogens and their impact on susceptibility to obesity”.

Plastics: From a Success Story to an Environmental Problem and a Global Challenge [intro to a special issue]

Chemical components of plastics as endocrine disruptors: Overview and commentary

NCD threat: falling on deaf ears.

Reviews

Numerous EDCs

Clinical expression of endocrine disruptors in children.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and male reproductive health.

Adrenal gland response to endocrine disrupting chemicals in fishes, amphibians and reptiles: a comparative overview.

Early exposure to food contaminants reshapes maturation of the human brain-gut-microbiota axis.

Role of environmental factors and epigenetics in autism spectrum disorders.

Role of environmental pollutants in Alzheimer’s disease: a review.

Emerging Pollutants – Part II: Treatment.

Potential Hepatotoxins Found in Herbal Medicinal Products: A Systematic Review.

BPA/Phthalates

Bisphenols and phthalates: Plastic chemical exposures can contribute to adverse cardiovascular health outcomes.

Bisphenol A-induced mechanistic impairment of decidualization.

Effects of Bisphenols on Testicular Steroidogenesis.

Phthalates Implications in the Cardiovascular System.

Parabens

The controversies of parabens – an overview nowadays.

Perfluoroalkyl Substances

Sonochemical degradation of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances – A review.

Uptake and accumulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in plants.

Flame Retardants

Inevitable human exposure to emissions of polybrominated diphenyl ethers: A perspective on potential health risks.

Pesticides

Association Between Exposure to Pesticides and ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

The pesticides use and the risk for head and neck cancer: A review of case-control studies.

Potentially Toxic Elements

Immunotoxicity of nickel: Pathological and toxicological effects.

Microplastics/Plastics

Plastic Debris in the Marine Environment: History and Future Challenges.

The hidden threat of plastic leachates: A critical review on their impacts on aquatic organisms.

A review of microplastics aggregation in aquatic environment: Influence factors, analytical methods, and environmental implications.

How can we trace microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: A review of the current knowledge on their analysis approaches.

A critical review of the overlooked challenge of determining micro-bioplastics in soil.

Air Pollution

The contribution of PM_2.5 to cardiovascular disease in China.

Long-term exposure to PM and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Is there an association between the level of ambient air pollution and COVID-19？

Miscellaneous

SARS-CoV-2 in the environment: Modes of transmission, early detection and potential role of pollutions

Human Health Studies

BPA/Phthalates

Phthalate and Bisphenol Exposure during Pregnancy and Offspring Nonverbal IQ.

Association of bisphenol A or bisphenol S exposure with oxidative stress and immune disturbance among unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion women.

Phthalate exposure linked to high blood pressure in Chinese children.

Phthalate exposure and semen quality in infertile male population from Tianjin, China: Associations and potential mediation by reproductive hormones.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Exposure to polychlorinated compounds and cryptorchidism; A nested case-control study.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and risk of dementia and Parkinson disease: A population-based cohort study in a North Italian highly polluted area

Serum metabolic changes associated with dioxin exposure in a Chinese male cohort

Perfluoroalkyl Substances

Exposure to elevated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in early pregnancy is related to increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: A nested case-control study in Shanghai, China.

Effect of prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on childhood allergies and common infectious diseases in children up to age 7 years: The Hokkaido study on environment and children’s health.

Serum albumin mediates the effect of multiple per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on serum lipid levels.

Serum levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances alternatives and blood pressure by sex status: Isomers of C8 health project in China.

Impact of the co-occurrence of obesity with diabetes, anemia, hypertension, and albuminuria on concentrations of selected perfluoroalkyl acids.

Flame Retardants

Umbilical cord serum PBDE concentrations and child adiposity measures at 7 years.

Pesticides

Reduced neurobehavioral functioning in agricultural workers and rural inhabitants exposed to pesticides in northern Chile and its association with blood biomarkers inhibition.

Case Report of Central Precocious Puberty in a Female: Role of Environmental Pollutants? [a 5 year old girl; the issue resolved when the family moved away from the farm and pesticides]

Occupational Pesticide Use and Risk of Renal Cell Carcinoma in the Agricultural Health Study.

Excessive Pesticide Use Likely to Cause the Onset of Myasthenia Gravis in the Moroccan Agricultural Population.

Organic Diet and Intermittent Fasting are Associated with Improved Erectile Function.

Residential proximity to agriculture and risk of childhood leukemia and central nervous system tumors in the Danish national birth cohort.

Occupational Exposure to Pesticides and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia in the MCC-Spain Study.

Potentially Toxic Elements

Elevated whole blood arsenic level is associated with type 2 diabetes in coal-burning areas in Guizhou.

Factors Affecting Arsenic Methylation in Contaminated Italian Areas.

The relationship of mercury exposure with neurological problems in artisanal gold in Makassar city

Air Pollution

Coronavirus disease 2019 mortality: a multivariate ecological analysis in relation to ethnicity, population density, obesity, deprivation and pollution.

Association Between Air Pollution in Lima and the High Incidence of COVID-19: Findings from a Post Hoc Analysis.

Reductions in mortality resulting from reduced air pollution levels due to COVID-19 mitigation measures.

Does underweight amplify the relationship between short-term particulate matter exposure and blood pressure in children and adolescents: a large cross-sectional study in a metropolis of China.

Personal exposure to fine particulate matter and renal function in children: A panel study

Ambient Air Pollution, Meteorology, and COVID-19 Infection in Korea.

Laboratory Studies

BPA/Phenols

Gene-Environmental Interplay in Bisphenol A Sub-Chronic Animal Exposure: New Insights into the Epigenetic Regulation of Pancreatic Islets.

Maternal Vitamin D Supplementation inhibits Bisphenol A-induced proliferation of Th17 cells in adult offspring.

Investigation of the effects of bisphenol-A exposure on lymphoid system in prenatal stage.

Bisphenol A-associated alterations in DNA and histone methylation affects semen quality in rare minnow Gobiocypris rarus.

Effects of Bisphenol A on expression of genes related to amino acid transporters, insulin- like growth factor, aquaporin and amino acid release by porcine trophectoderm cells.

Effects of Bisphenol A Exposure during Pregnancy and lactation on Hippocampal Function in Newborn Rats.

Phthalates

Di-n-hexyl phthalate causes Leydig cell hyperplasia in rats during puberty.

The Impact of Di-2-Ethylhexyl Phthalate on Sperm Fertility.

The role of STAT3/p53 and PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway on DEHP-induced reproductive toxicity in pubertal male rat.

Mixed plasticizers aggravated apoptosis by NOD2-RIP2-NF-κB pathway in grass carp hepatocytes

Parabens/Triclosan/Personal Care Products

Butylparaben Multigenerational Reproductive Assessment by Continuous Breeding in Hsd:Sprague Dawley SD Rats Following Dietary Exposure.

The use of patient-derived breast tissue explants to study macrophage polarization and the effects of environmental chemical exposure. [Benzophenone-3]

The interference of alpha- and beta-naphthoflavone with triclosan effects on viability, apoptosis and reactive oxygen species production in mouse neocortical neurons.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Prenatal EDCs Impair Mate and Odor Preference and Activation of the VMN in Male and Female Rats. [PCBs and vinclozolin]

Cardiovascular Effects of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Their Major Metabolites.

The sulfate metabolite of 3,3′-dichlorobiphenyl (PCB-11) impairs Cyp1a activity and increases hepatic neutral lipids in zebrafish larvae (Danio rerio).

Fatty liver and impaired hepatic metabolism alter the congener-specific distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in mice with a liver-specific deletion of cytochrome P450 reductase.

Perfluoroalkyl Substances

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) induce epigenetic alterations and promote human breast cell carcinogenesis in vitro.

Flame Retardants

Ecotoxicity assessment and bioconcentration of a highly brominated organophosphate ester flame retardant in two amphibian species.

Pesticides

Metabolic effects of exposure to pesticides during gestation in female Wistar rats and their offspring: a risk factor for diabetes?

Pubertal fenvalerate exposure impairs cognitive and behavioral development partially through down-regulating hippocampal thyroid hormone receptor signaling.

Transcriptomic and metabolomic landscape of the molecular effects of glyphosate commercial formulation on Apis mellifera ligustica and Apis cerana cerana.

Glyphosate and its formulation Roundup impair pig oocyte maturation.

Bifenthrin impairs the functions of Leydig and Sertoli cells in mice via mitochondrion-endoplasmic reticulum dysregulation.

Insecticides cause transcriptional alterations of endocrine related genes in the brain of honey bee foragers.

Reproduction stage specific dysregulation of Daphnia magna metabolites as an early indicator of reproductive endocrine disruption. [fenoxycarb]

Sub-lethal toxicity assessment of the phenylurea herbicide linuron in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo/larvae.

Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidative Potential of Aloe vera on the Cartap and Malathion Mediated Toxicity in Wistar Rats.

Effectiveness of melatonin to restore fish brain activity in face of permethrin induced toxicity.

Mining the effect of the neonicotinoids imidacloprid and clothianidin on the chemical homeostasis and energy equilibrium of primary mouse neural stem/progenitor cells using metabolomics.

Effects of insecticides used in strawberries on stingless bees Melipona quadrifasciata and Tetragonisca fiebrigi (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

Potentially Toxic Elements

Effect of Fucoxanthin Administration on Thyroid Gland Injury Induced by Cadmium in Mice.

Minor effects of dietary methylmercury on growth and reproduction of the sheepshead minnow Cyprinodon variegatus and toxicity to their offspring.

Metabolism of inorganic arsenic in mice lacking genes encoding GST-P, GST-M, and GST-T.

Exposures to uranium and arsenic alter intraepithelial and innate immune cells in the small intestine of male and female mice.

Effects of acute oral lead exposure on the levels of essential elements of mice: a metallomics and dose-dependent study.

Fluoride-induced testicular degeneration and sperm quality deteriorations: Salutary role of Cyperus esculentus tubers (tiger nut) extract in animal model.

Microplastics/Nanoplastics

Nanoplastics impact the zebrafish (Danio rerio) transcriptome: Associated developmental and neurobehavioral consequences.

Adsorption behavior of the antibiotic levofloxacin on microplastics in the presence of different heavy metals in an aqueous solution.

Edible size of polyethylene microplastics and their effects on springtail behavior.

Microplastic acts as a vector for contaminants: the release behavior of dibutyl phthalate from polyvinyl chloride pipe fragments in water phase.

First ecotoxicological characterization of paraffin microparticles: a biomarker approach in a marine suspension-feeder, Mytilus sp.

Air Pollution

Post-transcriptional air pollution oxidation to the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway promotes pulmonary stress phenotypes.

PM2.5 compromises antiviral immunity in influenza infection by inhibiting activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and expression of interferon-β.

Pharmaceuticals

Diluted concentrations of methamphetamine in surface water induce behavior disorder, transgenerational toxicity, and ecosystem-level consequences of fish.

Toxicity of the pharmaceuticals finasteride and melengestrol acetate to benthic invertebrates.

Reproductive viability of paradoxically masculinised Gambusia holbrooki generated following diethylstilbestrol (DES) treatment.

Environmentally relevant levels of four psychoactive compounds vary in their effects on freshwater fish condition: a brain concentration evidence approach.

Mixtures

A Brazilian pulp and paper mill effluent disrupts energy metabolism in immature rat testis and alters Sertoli cell secretion and mitochondrial activity.

Exposure/Environment Studies

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Precursors of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in Arctic and Antarctic marine sediments: Environmental concern in the face of climate change

A new dataset of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxin and Dibenzofuran half-lives: natural attenuation and rhizoremediation using several common plant species in a weathered contaminated soil.

Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in common kestrel eggs from the Canary Islands: Spatiotemporal variations and effects on eggshell and reproduction.

Biomonitoring of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in human milk: Exposure and risk assessment for lactating mothers and breastfed children from Spain

Perfluoroalkyl Substances

Measurement of Novel, Drinking Water-Associated PFAS in Blood from Adults and Children in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Disposal of products and materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): A cyclical problem.

Exposure to PFAS is associated with telomere length dynamics and demographic responses of an arctic top predator.

A profile analysis with suspect screening of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in firefighting foam impacted waters in Okinawa, Japan.

The analysis of perfluoroalkyl substances at ppt level in milk and egg using UHPLC-MS/MS.

Flame Retardants

Racial/ethnic and geographic differences in polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) levels across maternal, placental, and fetal tissues during mid-gestation.

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in Western Australian biosolids and implications for land application.

Legacy and emerging organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers in indoor microenvironments from Guangzhou, South China [flame retardants and phthalates]

Pesticides

National trends in pesticides in drinking water and water sources in Japan.

Organic and conventional agriculture: Conventional rice farming causes biochemical changes in Astyanax lacustris.

Neonicotinoid insecticide and their metabolite residues in fruit juices: Implications for dietary intake in China.

Environmental impacts of genetically modified (GM) crop use 1996-2018: impacts on pesticide use and carbon emissions.

The potential environmental risks of the utilization of composts from household food waste.

Potentially Toxic Elements

Blood and Urine Inorganic and Organic Mercury Levels in the United States from 1999 to 2016.

Snack foods and lead ingestion risks for school aged children: A comparative evaluation of potentially toxic metals and children’s exposure response of blood lead, copper and zinc levels.

Dietary exposure assessment of cadmium, arsenic, and lead in market rice from Sri Lanka.

Regional variations and drivers of mercury and selenium concentrations in Steller sea lions.

Microplastics

What is in our seas? Assessing anthropogenic litter on the seafloor of the central Mediterranean Sea

Investigating the presence of microplastics in demersal sharks of the North-East Atlantic.

Microplastics as an emerging anthropogenic vector of trace metals in freshwater: Significance of biofilms and comparison with natural substrates.

High prevalence of plastic ingestion by Eriocheir sinensis and Carcinus maenas (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) in the Thames Estuary.

Air Pollution

Who are more exposed to PM2.5 pollution: A mobile phone data approach.

Toxic trace metals in size-segregated fine particulate matter: Mass concentration, respiratory deposition, and risk assessment.

Investigating Cumulative Exposures among 3- to 4-Year-Old Children Using Wearable Ultrafine Particle Sensors and Language Environment Devices: A Pilot and Feasibility Study

Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in surface sediments of the Jiaozhou Bay, north China.

Mixtures

Tolerance patterns in stream biofilms link complex chemical pollution to ecological impacts.

Miscellaneous

Groundwater Pollution: Occurrence, Detection, and Remediation of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants.

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This list is not meant to be exhaustive, and generally does not include studies on detection, remediation, or treatment of EDCs. Note that journal publication dates may be different than dates added to PubMed. To see the searchable archives, please email me at Sarah@healthandenvironment.org and ask to join the group EDC_research@googlegroups.com. Archives are at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/edc_research. Feel free to forward. Compiled by Sarah Howard, Diabetes and Environment Program and HEEDS at Commonweal.

EHN EHN

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals: hazards and opportunities (ECHO) course
by Sarah Howard on October 31, 2024 at 2:50 pm
This course focuses on the chemical, biological, and societal challenges of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and new opportunities for moving forward. ECHO is a two-week intensive bootcamp-style career development course for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professionals in the field. It is held at Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Lou Guillette Jr. Memorial Symposium
by Sarah Howard on October 22, 2024 at 1:30 pm
On March 14-15, 2025, HEEDS is hosting the Lou Guillette Jr. Memorial Symposium on endocrine disrupting science at the University of Florida. It will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Guillette, gather together his trainees and colleagues, and focus on the research topics that Lou made famous. Information here.
Webinar: The overturning of Chevron deference: impacts on environmental health decision making
by Sarah Howard on October 17, 2024 at 4:21 pm
In this Nov. 13 webinar, legal experts will discuss the implications of the overturning of Chevron deference and its profound impact on science, public health and decision-making. Sponsored by CHE and UCSF's EaRTH Center.

EHN EHN

Ultra-processed foods and plastic packaging make for the ultimate toxic pair, scientists say
by Katherine McMahon,Sarah Howard on October 25, 2024 at 10:37 am
A recent paper published in Globalization and Health explores the relationship between ultra-processed foods (UPFs), plastic packaging, and their combined threat to public health. “Consumers do not have the power to solve a problem of this scale, and thus it is the responsibility of policymakers to ensure that transitions away from unhealthy, unsustainable foods are accompanied by structural measures that support demand and access to healthy foods.”
Microplastic exposure linked to reduced sperm quality in humans
by Katherine McMahon,Sarah Howard on October 23, 2024 at 4:29 pm
Exposure to microplastics is associated with a decrease in sperm concentration, motility, and shape, according to a new study published in The Lancet. “The identification of non-stick pan coating material PTFE as a particularly hazardous microplastic for male fertility underscores the importance of targeted interventions to reduce exposure to this and similar substances.”
Exposure to PFAS in ski wax may be linked to high cholesterol
by Katherine McMahon,Sarah Howard on October 16, 2024 at 7:42 pm
According to a new study published in Environmental Research, skiers and snowboarders may face health risks from their exposure to PFAS via ski wax, which can contain up to 100% PFAS by mass. “Interventions to remove PFAS from fluorinated wax could decrease direct exposure to skiers and reduce PFAS release into the environment.”

EHN EHN

EPA dismissed data on the neurotoxicity of common insecticides
by Katherine McMahon,Sarah Howard on November 1, 2024 at 12:53 pm
A recent paper in Frontiers in Toxicology examined research submitted by industry to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the neurotoxicity of neonicotinoids - the most widely used class of insecticides in the U.S. and worldwide - and found that the data was evaluated improperly by the agency. Why this matters: Neonicotinoids are widely used not only for commercial agriculture but also for more personal uses like home gardens and in some flea and tick treatments for pets. Humans are regularly exposed to neonicotinoids – which are structurally similar to nicotine – through the environment, food and water. Neonicotinoids’ popularity partly comes from the belief that their harmful effects are mostly limited to insects, but studies like this one demonstrate that mammals may also be harmed by the chemicals, and highlight the urgent need for stronger regulations around their use.
Pesticide regulations ignore critical threats to insect health and ecosystems
by EHN Curators on November 1, 2024 at 11:26 am
In a study revealing regulatory gaps, researchers found that pesticides impact insect behavior and survival at non-lethal doses, especially in warmer temperatures, calling into question the effectiveness of current pesticide safety protocols. Dave Goulson writes for The Conversation.
Stricter toxic chemical rules reduce Californians’ exposures
by Kristina Marusic on October 31, 2024 at 11:25 am
Californians have lower levels of toxic chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and reproductive harm in their bodies than people in the rest of the country, according to a new study. The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives and conducted by researchers at Silent Spring Institute, a nonprofit scientific research organization, and the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley), looked at nationwide data on the levels of 37 toxic chemicals in people’s blood before and after California introduced its stringent regulations. It found that for 18 of these chemicals, Californians have lower levels in their bodies than the rest of the country.