EDC Science Weekly, Jan. 23-29, 2026

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:January 29, 2026
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/Meta-Analyses, Human Health Studies, Laboratory Studies, Exposure/Environment Studies

Highlights:

Global health burdens of plastics: a lifecycle assessment model from 2016 to 2040
Towards EU regulatory hazard assessment of metabolic endocrine disrupters: Integrating new Biomarkers into OECD Test Guidelines
PFAS and Planetary Boundaries: Global Challenges for Waste Management and Policy Solutions.
and five human health studies on plastics/microplastics, see below

Science summaries and highlights

Events

Jan. 30 conference: Challenges and Solutions to Prevent Disinformation in Environmental Policy Making [Geneva Environment Network and others]

Feb. 4 webinar: Industry Tactics to Conceal Science and Undermine Public Health [Mass Breast Cancer Coalition]

Feb. 5-6 conference: Forever Ends Here: PFAS & Policy for Worker Health and Safety [Berkeley Center for Occupational and Environmental Health]

Feb. 10 – June 9: Environment and Health webinar series [Mount Sinai]

Feb. 12 webinar: EDCs & Reproductive Health: Effects of chemical mixtures on ovarian function [EDC Strategies Partnership]

Feb. 27 application due date for the Endocrine Society’s Kaiser-Goldberg Research Fellowship program.

June 28 – July 3: New and emerging threats, approaches, and mitigation strategies for environmental endocrine disruptors [Gordon Research Conference] and accompanying Gordon Research Seminar June 27 – 28, Harnessing interdisciplinary evidence for endocrine disruption.

Oct. 12-16, conference: MICRO 2026: Plastic pollution from macro to nano [in Cadiz, Spain]

Regulations/Policy

Towards EU regulatory hazard assessment of metabolic endocrine disrupters: Integrating new Biomarkers into OECD Test Guidelines

Global inequities in pesticide legislation: nearly half of pesticides approved in major crops in Latin America are not allowed in the European Union.

PFAS and Planetary Boundaries: Global Challenges for Waste Management and Policy Solutions.

ENKORE policy brief: Protecting people from endocrine disruptors [report by the EU ENKORE Cluster]

More EDC policy, FPF’s regulations open for comment, and Science’s Trump-Tracker.

Methods/Tools/Screening

Identifying androgen receptor antagonists using a metabolically competent high-throughput screening assay.

Prioritizing steatogenic chemicals through integration ToxCast™ data, machine learning, and experimental validation.

Deep learning-enhanced QSAR modeling for predicting developmental neurotoxicity based on molecular initiating events from adverse outcome pathways.

Identification of pesticides associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease using a multi-screen approach.

Exploring novel biomarkers for endocrine disruptor exposure: insights into extra-nuclear signaling pathways of estrogen and androgen receptors.

On the Utilization and Characterization of External Biotransformation Systems in In Vitro Toxicology: A Critical Review of the Scientific Literature with Guidance Recommendations.

Commentaries

The FDA’s plan to phase out animal testing.

Microplastic levels in the air have been overestimated, but are still a big concern. [News item]

Our journal in the era of artificial intelligence. [Environ Health]

Reviews/Meta-Analyses

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Global health burdens of plastics: a lifecycle assessment model from 2016 to 2040

Food contaminants: mechanisms of toxicity, computational assessment, and mitigation.

Risk Assessment of Chemical Mixtures in Foods: A Comprehensive Methodological and Regulatory Review

Beyond genetics: how environmental stressors drive pediatric hypertension risk.

Endocrine disruption in metabolic disorders: Biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Environmental pollutants as emerging disruptors of thyroid function: Mechanisms and early-life risks.

When Testosterone Fades: Leydig Cell Aging Shaped by Environmental Toxicants, Metabolic Dysfunction, and Testicular Niche Crosstalk

Understanding the Secular Decline in Testosterone: Mechanisms, Consequences, and Clinical Perspectives

Bisphenols

Bisphenol F and Steatotic Liver Disease: Resolving the PXR Paradox Through Stress Pathway Mechanisms

Phthalates

Research advances on the risk of prostate cancer from phthalates exposure: from epidemiological evidence to multidimensional prevention and control.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Assessing systemic absorption and estrogenic potential of methylparaben and propylparaben in consumer use.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Persistent Organic Pollutants: Neurotoxic Mechanisms and Insights from Organoid Models.

PFAS

An overview of the impact of PFAS on animals, humans, and the environment using a One Health approach.

Developmental nephrotoxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: Mechanistic insights and epidemiological evidence from prenatal and early-life exposure.

Developmental and neurobehavioural toxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in aquatic organisms: mechanistic insights from molecular disruption to behavioural dysfunction.

From Exposure to Dysfunction: The Intestinal Toxicity of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

Pesticides

Glyphosate as an Emerging Environmental Pollutant and Its Effects on Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation: A Systematic Literature Review of Preclinical Evidence

Revisiting the Association of Pesticide Exposure and Parkinson’s Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Metals/Metalloids

Low-level exposure to arsenic in drinking water and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Microplastics and nanoplastics: Emerging drivers of liver damage and metabolic dysfunction.

Microplastics and Atherosclerosis: Mechanisms.

Micro-nanoplastics and Parkinson’s disease: evidence and perspectives.

Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Cancer Progression: Biology and Public Health

Microplastic Pollution: Advancements in Mitigation, Policy Challenges, and Future Directions.

From Kitchen to Cell: A Critical Review of Microplastic Release from Consumer Products and Its Health Implications.

Artificial intelligence in microplastics domain: Current progress, challenges, and sustainable prospects.

Miscellaneous

A Toluene-induced Infundibulo-neuro-hypophysitis: Presentation of a New Cause of Hypophysitis Secondary to Toxic Exposure and Review on Toluene Inhalation Endocrine Effects

Human Health Studies

Phthalates

Prenatal phthalate exposure and neurodevelopmental delay in early childhood (1 to 3 years): An Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) study.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Exposure to paraben in early gestational period: Impact on placental estrogen biosynthesis and fetal growth restriction. [human and lab study]

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants modulates the metabolism and gut microbiota of the offspring.

Breastfeeding duration and serum organochlorine pesticides concentrations in young residents from two central-southern states of Mexico.

Major Adverse Coronary Events Status Post Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange Versus Non-Exposed.

PFAS

PPARs, L-FABP mediate the association between Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and gestational diabetes: a nested case-control study.

Regional assessment of PFAS in drinking water in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach, South Florida: Implications for environmental exposure and exploratory links with liver cancer mortality.

Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Abnormal Glycometabolism in Healthy Elderly: Multiomics Evidence from the China BAPE Study.

Longitudinal PFAS exposure and thyroid function trajectories in Taiwanese youth: a 10-year prospective cohort study.

Flame Retardants

Correlations between organophosphate flame retardants exposure and papillary thyroid cancer or thyroid hormones: A case-control study from Shijiazhuang, China.

Pesticides

Pesticides associated with incident diabetes among licensed private pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study cohort (1993-2021).

Indirect exposure to organophosphate pesticides and its possible growth disorders in children of farmers in Northwest Mexico.

Metals/Metalloids

Urinary arsenic levels and risk of breast cancer among women in the Canadian Health Measures Survey: a population-based prospective study.

Association between blood heavy metal levels and subtypes of steatotic liver disease: A nationally representative cross-sectional analysis in South Korea.

Protective versus risky: the complex relationship between prenatal fluoride exposure and birth outcomes in a Chinese large-scale population study.

Plastic/Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Frequent Plastic Usage Behavior and Lack of Microplastic Awareness Correlates with Cognitive Decline: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Microplastics and nanoplastics in follicular fluid are associated with diminished ovarian reserve: clinical and molecular insights.

Sex-specific associations between early-life microplastic exposure and children’s physical development: Evidence from a study in China.

Detection of micro- and nanoplastics in cerebrospinal fluid and blood: Implications for brain diseases.

Associations of Fecal Microplastics with Oxidative Damage and Cardiopulmonary Function: Evidence from a Pilot Study.

Air Pollution

Prenatal Exposure to Wildfire and Autism in Children

Prenatal air pollution exposure and postpartum glucose intolerance in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: Identifying susceptible windows.

Association of short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants with liver function and mediation by fasting insulin: evidence from a rural cohort in China.

Longitudinal associations of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution, residential greenness, and air temperature with type 2 diabetes subphenotypes: Results from the KORA cohort study.

Associations between prenatal exposure to ambient air pollutants and preterm birth in the Atlanta African American maternal-child cohort.

Air pollution and risk of autoimmune thyroid diseases in children and adolescents: Findings from a nationwide cohort study in Korea.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

Prenatal diethylstilbestrol exposure and risk of benign breast disease: The National Cancer Institute Diethylstilbestrol Follow-up Study.

PAHs

Association between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure and dyslipidemia in women: Evidence from two population-based studies and the mediating role of inflammation.

Association between prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and neonatal birth outcomes: Cross-sectional study.

Gene-Environment Interactions of Apoptosis-Related Polymorphisms and Urinary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Metabolites in Relation to Sperm Cell Apoptosis Among Men Attending Infertility Clinics.

Laboratory Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Quantitative prediction of zebrafish reproductive impairment via androgen receptor-driven adverse outcome pathway.

Assessment of endocrine disruptor impact on carbohydrate metabolism in the HepaRG human hepatic cell line.

Bisphenols

Metabolic consequences of perinatal bisphenol A and 17α-Ethinylestradiol exposure manifest in circadian alterations of energy homeostasis in adult male mice.

Paternal BPA and BPS exposure induce testicular dysfunction in pubertal male offspring: roles of OCTN2 carnitine transporter disruption and exacerbated oxidative stress/apoptosis.

Protective role of astaxanthin against bisphenol A induced biochemical and histopathological alterations in rat kidneys.

Perinatal BPAF Exposure Reprograms Offspring’s Immune–Metabolic Axis: A Multi-Omics Investigation of Intergenerational Hepatotoxicity

Role of bisphenol A in the aberrant activation of ionotropic glutamate transporters in the cerebral cortex and altered behavioral responses in C57BL/6J mice.

Early-life BPS exposure induces reproductive toxicity in offspring mice via ferroptosis.

Role of bisphenol A in the aberrant activation of ionotropic glutamate transporters in the cerebral cortex and altered behavioral responses in C57BL/6J mice.

Network toxicology and multidimensional bioinformatics analysis reveal the shared mechanism of action of bisphenol A and phthalates in glioblastoma.

Elucidating the mechanisms of bisphenols-induced male spermatogenesis disorder via network toxicology, molecular docking and bioinformatics

Phthalates

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate induces male reproductive toxicity through mitophagy-dependent ferroptosis of spermatocytes in mice.

Combining multi-omics analysis and network toxicology to explore the role and underlying mechanisms of an environmental pollutant in gastric cancer: A study of Diisononyl Phthalate.

Developmental neurotoxic effects of dibutyl phthalate and its metabolite mono-n-butyl phthalate on Danio rerio.

Integrated Profiling of DEHP-Induced Hippocampal Neurotoxicity in Adult Female Rats Based on Transcriptomic and Neurobiological Analyses.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Multiomics elucidation of triclosan-induced gestational diabetes mellitus: Identification of key targets and molecular mechanisms.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

The influence of an environmentally relevant polychlorinated biphenyl mixture on the intestinal microbiota in post-weaning mouse dams.

PFAS

Short-chain PFAS exposure during gestation and breastfeeding alters learning and memory in adulthood: possible mechanisms related to brain development.

Perfluorooctanoic acid affects in vitro adipogenesis in murine preadipocytes acting as an inducer of hypertrophic adipocytes.

Sub-chronic exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid impairs growth, disrupts intestinal microbiota and structure in aquatic turtles.

HFPO-TA, a PFOA replacement, causes greater gut-liver toxicity in hook snout carp (Opsariichthys bidens) than PFOA, and is mitigated by curcumin.

Nuclear receptors-mediated lipid metabolism dysregulation: A potential mechanism linking PFOA/PFOS to hepatocellular carcinoma.

Exposure single-cell metabolomics mass spectrometry reveals HFPO-DA toxicity mechanisms.

Identification of functional genetic components modulating toxicity response to PFOS using genome-wide CRISPR screens in HepG2/C3A cells.

Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) induces cytochrome P450 expression and enzymatic activity in well-differentiated primary human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells.

6:2 Chlorinated Polyfluoroalkyl Ether Sulfonate (6:2 Cl-PFAES), a PFOS Alternative, Impairs Testosterone Synthesis in Leydig Cells by Targeting Lipophagy via the SIRT1-FOXO1-RAB7 Axis: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study.

Sex-dependent acute oral toxicity and in vivo distribution of 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (6:2 Cl-PFESA) in rats.

Integrated network toxicology and In Vitro/In Vivo experiments reveal molecular mechanisms of perfluorooctanoic acid exposure affecting intracerebral hemorrhage prognosis.

Developmental perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure alters gene expression in nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex and impairs cognition in rats: A transcriptomic and mediation analysis.

Evaluation of the causal effects of PFOS on atherosclerosis and its potential toxicological mechanisms: Integrated Mendelian randomization and network toxicology analysis.

Embryotoxicity and mixture effects of legacy PFAS in a human iPSC-based 3D model

Flame Retardants

BDE-47 has cytotoxicity on human sperm by inducing apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and membrane damage.

Toxicity of tetrabromobisphenol A to human thyroid follicular epithelial cells through oxidative stress: A combined analysis at the cellular and molecular levels.

Organotins

Metabolic and antioxidant imbalance in Sertoli cells induced by tributyltin exposure is accompanied by Sirt3 downregulation.

Effects of Tributyltin Chloride on Human Neuronal Differentiation and Mice Brain Development.

Pesticides

Dietary Glyphosate Exposure Disrupts Hepatic and Reproductive Function in Female Zebrafish at Regulatory Safe Levels.

Tolylfluanid induces mitochondrial dysfunction through excessive ROS generation and inhibits cell growth in bovine mammary epithelial cells.

Atrazine and diazinon inhibit oocyte maturation and ovulation in zebrafish.

The effect and mechanism of atrazine induced depression-like in mice.

Neonicotinoids and the Androgen Receptor: Structural Dynamics and Potential Signaling Disruption

Comparative toxicity of plant protection products, their active substances and mixtures in zebrafish embryos and HepaRG cells.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Divergent responses of human erythrocytes to nano-, micro-, and size-mixed polystyrene particles reveal distinct cellular effects of environmental plastics.

Toxic effects of microplastic (polyethylene) exposure: Stress, immune responses and neurotoxicity in crucian carp, Carassius carassius.

The single and combined effects of deltamethrin and polyethylene microplastics on the development and biochemical responses of Xenopus laevis in early life stages.

Ferroptosis and Hepatic Fibrosis induced by Cooperative Exposure to Polylactic Acid Nanoplastics and Copper: Emphasis on Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis.

Polystyrene nanoplastics as PFAS carriers and their interactions with zwitterionic phospholipid membranes.

Polystyrene Nanoplastic Exposure Causes Reprogramming of Anti-Oxidative Genes Hmox1 and Sod3 by Inhibiting Nuclear Receptor RORγ in the Mouse Liver.

Enteric virus infection was boosted by the accumulation of micro- and nano-particles in host cells.

Variations in the expression and function of SARS-CoV-2 entry molecules induced by exposure to nano- and microparticles.

Air Pollution

Maternal exposure to air pollution alters the postnatal metabolic response to ozone in peri-adolescent offspring.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

Vitellogenin as a Basic Biomarker: Endocrine Disruptor Effects of Sodium Pyrithione on Zebrafish (Danio Rerio).

Miscellaneous

4-Nonylphenol regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis in cervical carcinoma through the MEG3/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

The mechanism by which nonylphenol induces intestinal epithelial barrier damage and the protective effect of arabinogalactan through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

Adverse effects of 6PPD-quinone bioaccumulation at environmentally relevant concentrations on Cyprinus carpio growth and development.

1,6-Dihydroxynaphthalene as a potential environmental obesogen induces lipid accumulation and liver developmental defects in zebrafish.

Functional and Molecular Characterization of Melamine-Induced Disruption of Human Spermatozoa via Oxidative Stress and Apoptotic Pathways: An In Vitro Study

Exposure/Environment Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Deer as sentinels of emerging environmental pollution: Assessing contamination patterns and seasonal variations.

Bisphenols

Migration of bisphenol A from commercially available pacifiers: HPLC-FLD analysis and exposure assessment in infants and toddlers.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Investigations of Some Endocrine Disruptors in Cat Genital Organs.

PFAS

Global Distribution of PFAS and Their Impacts on Microbial Greenhouse Gas Emission and Mechanisms.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other contaminants of concern in tribal waters of Montana.

Large declines in organofluorine contamination indicated by subarctic marine mammal tissues.

Overlooked health and ecotoxicological effects of PFOS alternatives: Evidence from wheat in soil.

Flame Retardants

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) Serum Concentrations in Italian Women of Reproductive Age.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Investigation of airborne microplastics emission and characteristics in hospital laundry environments.

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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. Industry-funded articles are included without notation. 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. There are searchable archives. Compiled by Sarah Howard of Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS), a program of Environmental Health Sciences.

If you enjoy this newsletter, please feel free to donate here! Thank you!

EHN EHN

Gordon Research Conference on environmental endocrine disruptors
by Sarah Howard on January 16, 2026 at 4:02 pm
This year's Gordon Research Conference on endocrine disruptors will be held June 28-July 3, with the accompanying Gordon Research Seminar on June 27-28, in Newry, Maine. These conferences bring together graduate students, post-docs, professors, and researchers who work on endocrine disrupting chemicals, and are an invaluable source of discussion. Apply to attend and submit your abstract by January 20th if you would like to be considered for one of these short talks using this link.
National PFAS Conference
by Sarah Howard on January 15, 2026 at 10:15 pm
The University of Arizona is hosting the National PFAS Conference, in person in Tucson on June 8-10, 2026.
Webinar recording: Effects of chemical mixtures on ovarian function
by Sarah Howard on January 15, 2026 at 7:07 pm
In this Feb. 12 webinar, Dr. Shuo Xiao introduced his lab research that focuses on integrating in vivo, in vitro, and in silico models to study the impacts of real-world mixtures of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on female ovarian function, reproductive outcomes, and the molecular mechanisms involved. Dr. Xiao is the 2025 winner of the Lou Guillette, Jr Outstanding Young Investigator Award from Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS), a program of Environmental Health Sciences. Sponsored by the EDC Strategies Partnership and Young EDC Scientists Showcase (YESS).

EHN EHN

Every stage of plastic use — from production to disposal — harms human health
by Environmental Health Sciences Staff on March 6, 2026 at 2:36 pm
In a recent study published by The Lancet Planetary Health, researchers examined the health costs of pollutants released by plastics across their full lifecycle and emphasized the need for international policy that reduces plastic production.
Babies are exposed to more forever chemicals in utero than previously thought
by EHN Curators on March 6, 2026 at 12:10 pm
New research into umbilical cord blood shows a startling number of PFAS.
Study links cell tower and cell phone radiation to changes in blood cells tied to immune health
by Environmental Health Sciences Staff on February 27, 2026 at 2:24 pm
A recent study published in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine found people living close to cell towers and wireless base station network antennas had higher radiofrequency (RF) radiation exposures, along with measurable changes in certain white blood cells, suggesting a biological stress response and altered immune activity.

EHN EHN

After years of gains, GOP pushes to roll back chemical regulations
by EHN Curators on March 6, 2026 at 12:15 pm
In Texas, environmental activists and experts raise the alarm about the impact on the state's petrochemical industry.
Senate GOP backs speedier chemical reviews; Dems cite health risks
by EHN Curators on March 5, 2026 at 12:20 pm
Proposed changes to the nation’s premier chemical safety law are necessary for American competitiveness, Senate Republicans said in a hearing on Wednesday, as Democrats warned the changes will harm public health.
Former EPA staff detail expanding pollution risks under Trump
by EHN Curators on March 4, 2026 at 6:00 pm
The Trump administration’s relentless rollback of public health and environmental protections has allowed widespread toxic exposures to flourish, warn experts who helped implement safeguards now under assault.