EDC Science Weekly, Feb. 24 – Mar. 2, 2023

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:March 2, 2023
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

To see upcoming events, see the February issue of HEEDS News.

Regulations/Policy

A new consensus on reconciling fire safety with environmental & health impacts of chemical flame retardants.

Reasons for Reinforcing the Regulation of Chemicals in Europe

Methods/Tools/Screening

Methods

Implementation of effect biomarkers in human biomonitoring studies: A systematic approach synergizing toxicological and epidemiological knowledge.

Human risk associated with exposure to mixtures of antiandrogenic chemicals evaluated using in vitro hazard and human biomonitoring data.

Wearable Passive Samplers for Assessing Environmental Exposure to Organic Chemicals: Current Approaches and Future Directions.

Development of adverse outcome pathways relevant for the identification of substances having endocrine disruption properties Uterine adenocarcinoma as adverse outcome.

Communicating Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Contamination to the Public Through Personal Relevance.

Natural language processing in toxicology: Delineating adverse outcome pathways and guiding the application of new approach methodologies.

Combining In Vitro and In Silico New Approach Methods to Investigate Type 3 Iodothyronine Deiodinase Chemical Inhibition Across Species.

Efficient PFAS prioritization in non-target HRMS data: systematic evaluation of the novel MD/C-m/C approach.

The Role of “Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model (PBPK)” New Approach Methodology (NAM) in Pharmaceuticals and Environmental Chemical Risk Assessment.

Interlaboratory Study to Evaluate a Testing Protocol for the Safety of Food Packaging Coatings.

A Machine Learning Model to Estimate Toxicokinetic Half-Lives of Per- and Polyfluoro-Alkyl Substances (PFAS) in Multiple Species.

Prediction of Molecular Initiating Events for Adverse Outcome Pathways Using High-Throughput Identification of Chemical Targets.

Assessment of neurotransmitter release in human iPSC-derived neuronal/glial cells: a missing in vitro assay for regulatory developmental neurotoxicity testing

Screening

High-Throughput Screening of ToxCast PFAS Chemical Library for Potential Inhibitors of the Human Sodium Iodide Symporter.

Building the Environmental Chemical-Protein Interaction Network (eCPIN): An Exposome-Wide Strategy for Bioactive Chemical Contaminant Identification.

AOP Report: Adverse Outcome Pathways for Aromatase Inhibition or Androgen Receptor Agonism Leading to Male-Biased Sex Ratio and Population Decline in Fish.

Commentaries

Editorial for the Special Issue on “Human Biomonitoring in Health Risk Assessment: Current Practices and Recommendations for the Future”.

Symbiotoxicity: the ability of environmental stressors to damage healthy microbiome structure and interactions with the host.

The 19th FRAME Annual Lecture, November 2022: Safer Chemicals and Sustainable Innovation Will Be Achieved by Regulatory Use of Modern Safety Science, Not by More Animal Testing.

Reviews

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Effects of Pollution on Pregnancy and Infants.

Toxicity overview of endocrine disrupting chemicals interacting in vitro with the oestrogen receptor.

Impact of endocrine disruptors from mother’s diet on immuno-hormonal orchestration of brain development and introduction of the Virtual Human Twin tool

Critical Overview on Endocrine Disruptors in Diabetes Mellitus

BPA/Phenols

Effects of bisphenol A and bisphenol analogs on the nervous system.

Phthalates

Early-life exposure to di (2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate: Role in children with endocrine disorders.

From oxidative imbalance to compromised standard sperm parameters: Toxicological aspect of phthalate esters on spermatozoa.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Neurodevelopmental Effects of Perinatal TCDD Exposure Differ from Those of Other PCDD/Fs in Vietnamese Children Living near the Former US Air Base in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Evolutive emergence and divergence of an Ig regulatory node: An environmental sensor getting cues from the aryl hydrocarbon receptor?

Perfluoroalkyl Substances

Consideration of pathways for immunotoxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Toxicology assessment for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS)-free aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) products.

Putative adverse outcome pathways of the male reproductive toxicity derived from toxicological studies of perfluoroalkyl acids.

A Scoping Assessment of Implemented Toxicokinetic Models of Per- and Polyfluoro-Alkyl Substances, with a Focus on One-Compartment Models.

Pesticides

Neurobehavioral Effects of Low-Dose Chronic Exposure to Insecticides: A Review.

Poisoning Regulation, Research, Health, and the Environment: The Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Case in Canada.

Glyphosate Toxicity: In Vivo, In Vitro, and Epidemiological Evidence.

First meta-analysis study of cholinesterase inhibition in experimental animals by organophosphate or carbamate insecticides under the influence of diphenhydramine.

Metals/Metalloids

Association between heavy metal mercury in body fluids and tissues and diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Arsenic exposure and its implications in male fertility.

Adverse Human Health Effects of Chromium by Exposure Route: A Comprehensive Review Based on Toxicogenomic Approach.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Recent insights into uptake, toxicity, and molecular targets of microplastics and nanoplastics relevant to human health impacts.

Microplastics: A Matter of the Heart (and Vascular System).

A Systematic Review of the Placental Translocation of Micro- and Nanoplastics.

Micro and nanoplastics ravaging our agroecosystem: A review of occurrence, fate, ecological impacts, detection, remediation, and prospects.

A Systematic Review of Nano- and Microplastic (NMP) Influence on the Bioaccumulation of Environmental Contaminants: Part I-Soil Organisms.

Miscellaneous

Toxicology of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol and its esters: a narrative review.

Human Health Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Exposure to a mixture of non-persistent environmental chemicals and neonatal thyroid function in a cohort with improved exposure assessment.

Prenatal exposure to persistent and non-persistent chemical mixtures and associations with adverse birth outcomes in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort.

Metabolome-wide association study of four groups of persistent organic pollutants and abnormal blood lipids.

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Influence Hub Genes Associated with Aggressive Prostate Cancer.

Co-exposure to toxic metals and phthalates in pregnant women and their children’s mental health problems aged four years – Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study (TMICS).

Phthalates

Maternal exposure to phthalates and total gestational weight gain in the LIFECODES birth cohort.

Associations Between Repeated Measures of Urinary Phthalate Metabolites With Hormones and Timing of Natural Menopause.

Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Associations between seminal plasma triclosan and low sperm quality: A case-control study.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Prenatal and childhood chlordecone exposure, cognitive abilities and problem behaviors in 7-year-old children: the TIMOUN mother-child cohort in Guadeloupe.

Perfluoroalkyl Substances

Metabolic Signatures of Youth Exposure to Mixtures of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: A Multi-Cohort Study.

Exposure to serum perfluoroalkyl substances and biomarkers of liver function: The Korean national environmental health survey 2015-2017.

Perfluoroalkyl substance exposure is associated with asthma and innate immune cell count in US adolescents stratified by sex.

Association between maternal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and serum markers of liver function during pregnancy in China: A mixture-based approach.

Maternal plasma perfluoroalkyl substances concentrations in early pregnancy and cardiovascular development in offspring: A prospective cohort study.

Maternal per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances exposure and child adiposity measures: A birth cohort study.

Serum perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoate and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer according to hormone receptor status: An analysis in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

Associations of prenatal PFAS exposure and early childhood neurodevelopment: Evidence from the Shanghai Maternal-Child Pairs Cohort.

Association between polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure and sex steroids in adolescents: The mediating role of serum albumin.

Flame Retardants

Excretion of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and AhR activation in breastmilk among firefighters.

Pesticides

Association of Lifetime Exposure to Glyphosate and Aminomethylphosphonic Acid (AMPA) with Liver Inflammation and Metabolic Syndrome at Young Adulthood: Findings from the CHAMACOS Study [See related article in Environmental Health News, Kids’ glyphosate exposure linked to liver disease and metabolic syndrome, and save the date for a webinar on April 13 with Dr. Eskenazi].

Association of 3-Phenoxybenzoic Acid Exposure during Pregnancy with Maternal Outcomes and Newborn Anthropometric Measures: Results from the IoMum Cohort Study.

Effect of Pesticide Exposure over DNA Damage in Farmers from Los Reyes, Michoacan in Mexico.

Occupational Exposure to Pesticides as a Risk Factor for Sleep Disorders.

Metals/Metalloids

Long-term exposure to elemental components of fine particulate matter and all-natural and cause-specific mortality in a Danish nationwide administrative cohort study.

Evaluation of Heavy Metal (Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Manganese) Levels in Blood, Plasma, and Urine of Adolescents With Aggressive Behavior.

Periconceptional maternal diet quality influences blood heavy metal concentrations and their effect on low birth weight: the Japan Environment and Children’s Study.

The role of systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in the association of particulate air pollution metal content and early cardiovascular damage: A panel study in healthy college students.

Exposure to Heavy Metals and Serum Adiponectin Levels among Workers: A 2-Year Follow-Up Study.

Association of Blood Mercury Level with Liver Enzymes in Korean Adults: An Analysis of 2015-2017 Korean National Environmental Health Survey.

High Incidence of Thyroid Cancer in Southern Tuscany (Grosseto Province, Italy): Potential Role of Environmental Heavy Metal Pollution.

Association between Exposure to Selected Heavy Metals and Blood Eosinophil Counts in Asthmatic Adults: Results from NHANES 2011-2018.

Environmental exposure to cadmium in breast cancer – association with the Warburg effect and sensitivity to tamoxifen.

Associations with Blood Lead and Urinary Cadmium Concentrations in Relation to Mortality in the US Population: A Causal Survival Analysis with G-Computation.

Nonlinear Associations between Blood Cadmium Concentration and Thyroid Hormones According to Smoking Status in Korean Adults: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).

Miscellaneous

Urinary metabolites of multiple volatile organic compounds, oxidative stress biomarkers, and gestational diabetes mellitus: Association analyses.

Laboratory Studies

BPA/Phenols

Fetal Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting-Bisphenol A (BPA) Alters Testicular Fatty Acid Metabolism in the Adult Offspring: Relevance to Sperm Maturation and Quality.

Bisphenol S reduces locomotor performance and modifies muscle protein levels but not mitochondrial bioenergetics in adult zebrafish.

Obesogenic effect of Bisphenol P on mice via altering the metabolic pathways.

Effect of Nonylphenol on the Structure of Adrenal Cortex in F1 Generation Rats.

Integration of Ultrastructural and Computational Approaches Reveals the Protective Effect of Astaxanthin against BPA-Induced Nephrotoxicity.

Life history traits of low-toxicity alternative bisphenol S on Daphnia magna with short breeding cycles: A multigenerational study.

Toxicological impacts and likely protein targets of bisphenol a in Paramecium caudatum.

Inhibition of VDAC1 prevents oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by bisphenol A in spermatogonia via AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.

Phthalates

Structural basis of the activation of PPARγ by the plasticizer metabolites MEHP and MINCH.

Long-term exposure to low-dose Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate aggravated high fat diet-induced obesity in female mice.

New insight into Long-term effects of Phthalates microplastics in developing zebrafish: Evidence from genomic alteration and organ development.

Daphnia magna sub-lethal exposure to phthalate pollutants elicits disruptions in amino acid and energy metabolism.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Single-cell transcriptomic dissection of the cellular and molecular events underlying the triclosan-induced liver fibrosis in mice.

Endocrine Disruption of Propylparaben in the Male Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis): Tissue Injuries and Abnormal Gene Expressions of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal-Liver Axis.

Estrogenic Effect Mechanism and Influencing Factors for Transformation Product Dimer Formed in Preservative Parabens Photolysis.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

A New In Vivo Zebrafish Bioassay Evaluating Liver Steatosis Identifies DDE as a Steatogenic Endocrine Disruptor, Partly through SCD1 Regulation.

Reproductive toxicity in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) due to embryonic exposure to PCB 28 or 4′-OH-PCB 65.

Effects of endocrine disruptors on the electrical activity of leptin receptor neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus and anxiety-like behavior in male mice. [DDT and TBT]

Perfluoroalkyl Substances

Alteration of hepato-lipidomic homeostasis in A/J mice fed an environmentally relevant PFAS mixture.

Efficacy and mechanism of lipoic acid in the treatment of reproductive injury caused by perfluorooctanoic acid.

Hexafluoropropylene oxide tetramer acid (HFPO-TeA)-induced developmental toxicities in chicken embryo: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor Alpha (PPARα) is involved.

An Experimental Study on Antioxidant Enzyme Gene Expression in Trematomus newnesi (Boulenger, 1902) Experimentally Exposed to Perfluoro-Octanoic Acid.

Human health risk assessment of 6:2 Cl-PFESA through quantitative in vitro to in vivo extrapolation by integrating cell-based assays, an epigenetic key event, and physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling.

Chronic PFOA exposure in vitro causes acquisition of multiple tumor cell characteristics in rat liver cells.

Perfluoroethylcyclohexane sulphonate, an emerging perfluoroalkyl substance, disrupts mitochondrial membranes and the expression of key molecular targets in vitro.

Preliminary Study on the Protective Effects and Molecular Mechanism of Procyanidins against PFOS-Induced Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion Impairment in INS-1 Cells.

Acute Exposure of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) to the Next-Generation Perfluoroalkyl Substance, Perfluoroethylcyclohexanesulfonate, Shows Similar Effects as Legacy Substances.

Effects of PFOS and cyclophosphamide exposure on immune homeostasis in mice.

Flame Retardants

Effects of 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate exposure on the glucolipid metabolism and cardiac developmental toxicity in larval zebrafish based on transcriptomic analysis.

BDE-209 disturbed proliferation and differentiation of spermatogonia during mitotic process through estrogen receptor α.

Proliferation toxicity and mechanism of novel mixed bromine/chlorine transformation products of tetrabromobisphenol A on human embryonic stem cell.

An Analysis of the Structural Relationship between Thyroid Hormone-Signaling Disruption and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers: Potential Implications for Male Infertility.

Hepatocellular Metabolic Abnormalities Induced by Long-Term Exposure to Novel Brominated Flame Retardant, Hexabromobenzene.

Organotins

Tributyltin activates the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway via a macroautophagy-independent reduction in Keap1.

Pesticides

Breast carcinogenesis induced by organophosphorous pesticides.

A possible but unrecognized risk of acceptable daily intake dose triazole pesticides exposure-bile acid disturbance induced pharmacokinetic changes of oral medication.

Antioxidant/protective effects of carob pod (Ceratonia siliqua L.) water extract against deltamethrin-induced oxidative stress/toxicity in zebrafish larvae.

Association between uterine toxicity induced by chlorpyrifos and downregulation of heparin-binding epidermal growth factor and L-selectin genes.

Protective effect of quercetin against paraquat-induced brain mitochondrial disruption in mice.

Protective effect of chrysin against chlorpyrifos-induced metabolic impairment and pancreatitis in male rats.

Tebuconazole mediates cognitive impairment via the microbe-gut-brain axis (MGBA) in mice.

High-Fat Diet Aggravates the Disorder of Glucose Metabolism Caused by Chlorpyrifos Exposure in Experimental Rats.

Potency of Hexaconazole to Disrupt Endocrine Function with Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin.

Impact of Chronic Multi-Generational Exposure to an Environmentally Relevant Atrazine Concentration on Testicular Development and Function in Mice.

Molecular mechanisms of atrazine toxicity on H19-7 hippocampal neurons revealed by integrated miRNA and mRNA “omics”.

In Vitro and Predictive Computational Toxicology Methods for the Neurotoxic Pesticide Amitraz and Its Metabolites.

Cyhalofop-butyl exposure induces the severe hepatotoxicity and immunotoxicity in zebrafish embryos.

Diafenthiuron causes developmental toxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Implications of atrazine concentrations in drinking water from Ijebu-North, Southwest Nigeria on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Multi-Omics Analyses Reveal the Mechanisms of Early Stage Kidney Toxicity by Diquat.

Melatonin Ameliorates Diquat-Induced Testicular Toxicity via Reducing Oxidative Stress, Inhibiting Apoptosis, and Maintaining the Integrity of Blood-Testis Barrier in Mice.

Metals/Metalloids

Neurotransmitter disturbances caused by methylmercury exposure: Microbiota-gut-brain interaction.

Significant Biotransformation of Arsenobetaine into Inorganic Arsenic in Mice.

Exposure to acute waterborne cadmium caused severe damage on lipid metabolism of freshwater fish, revealed by nuclear lipid droplet deposition in hepatocytes of rare minnow.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Oral Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastics of Mice on a Normal or High-Fat Diet and Intestinal and Metabolic Outcomes.

Neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption caused by polystyrene nanoparticles in zebrafish embryo.

Association between Microorganisms and Microplastics: How Does It Change the Host-Pathogen Interaction and Subsequent Immune Response?

Multilevel Toxicity Evaluations of Polyethylene Microplastics in Zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Cocktail effects of emerging contaminants on zebrafish: Nanoplastics and the pharmaceutical diphenhydramine.

Ingested Polystyrene Nanospheres Translocate to Placenta and Fetal Tissues in Pregnant Rats: Potential Health Implications.

UV-aged microplastics induces neurotoxicity by affecting the neurotransmission in larval zebrafish.

Effects of polystyrene nanoplastic gestational exposure on mice.

Exposure to Polypropylene Microplastics via Oral Ingestion Induces Colonic Apoptosis and Intestinal Barrier Damage through Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Mice.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

Evaluation of Endocrine Related Adverse Effects of Non-Endocrine Targeted Pharmaceuticals in Cellular Systems.

Miscellaneous

Liquid Crystal Monomer: A Potential PPARγ Antagonist.

Exposure of embryos to phenanthrene impacts the cardiac development in F1 zebrafish larvae and potential reasons.

Chronic Exposure to Low-Molecular-Weight Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Promotes Lipid Accumulation and Metabolic Inflammation.

Exposure/Environment Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Characterizing the adult exposome in men and women from the general population: Results from the EHES-LUX study.

Nonphthalate Plasticizers in House Dust from Multiple Countries: An Increasing Threat to Humans.

BPA/Phenols

Migration of BPA from Food Packaging and Household Products on the Croatian Market.

Phthalates

Risk assessment and environmental determinants of urinary phthalate metabolites in pregnant women in Southwest China.

GC-MS Determination of Undeclared Phthalate Esters in Commercial Fragrances: Occurrence, Profiles and Assessment of Carcinogenic and Non-Carcinogenic Risk Associated with Their Consumption among Adult Consumers.

Face Mask: As a Source or Protector of Human Exposure to Microplastics and Phthalate Plasticizers?

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Determination of Parabens and Their Metabolites in Seminal Plasma from Chinese Men by Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).

Perfluoroalkyl Substances

Spatio-temporal trends in livestock exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) inform risk assessment and management measures.

Perfluorinated compound correlation between human serum and drinking water in Beijing City: Is drinking water a significant contributor?

Differences in the internal PFAS patterns of herbivores, omnivores and carnivores – lessons learned from target screening and the total oxidizable precursor assay.

Can blood proteome diversity among fish species help explain perfluoroalkyl acid trophodynamics in aquatic food webs?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances fate and transport at a wastewater treatment plant with a collocated sewage sludge incinerator.

Flame Retardants

Bioaccumulation and Trophic Transfer of Organophosphate Flame Retardants and Their Metabolites in the Estuarine Food Web of the Pearl River, China.

Spatiotemporal variations and the ecological risks of organophosphate esters in Laizhou Bay waters between 2019 and 2021: Implying the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Occurrence and treatment effect assessment of organophosphorus flame retardants in source and drinking water, Jinan, China.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in water, suspended particulate matter, and sediment of reservoirs and their tributaries in Shenzhen, a mega city in South China.

Exposure to legacy and alternative flame retardants in two harbor seal populations and the association with blubber fatty acid profiles.

Pesticides

Methods and Strategies for Biomonitoring in Occupational Exposure to Plant Protection Products Containing Glyphosate.

Metals/Metalloids

Evaluating the efficacy and feasibility of post harvest methods for arsenic removal from rice grain and reduction of arsenic induced cancer risk from rice-based diet.

Air Pollution

The impact of the 2019/2020 Australian landscape fires on infant feeding and contaminants in breast milk in women with asthma.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

Occurrence and fate of an emerging drug pollutant and its by-products during conventional and advanced wastewater treatment: Case study of furosemide.

Miscellaneous

Awareness Regarding Sex Hormone Disruptors in Everyday Products Among Females of Reproductive Age in Al-Jouf, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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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 from dates added to PubMed. To see the searchable archives, please email me and ask to join the EDC Science Weekly group EDC_research@googlegroups.com. The searchable archives are at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/edc_research or online at https://heeds.org/category/edc-science-weekly/. Compiled by Sarah Howard of Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS), a program of Environmental Health Sciences.

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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

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.
EPA dismissed data on the neurotoxicity of common insecticides
by Katherine McMahon,Sarah Howard on October 30, 2024 at 5:56 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 October 30, 2024 at 10:26 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.