EDC Science Weekly, June 4-11, 2026 – HEEDS

EDC Science Weekly, June 4-11, 2026

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:June 16, 2026
Post category:EDC Science Weekly

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

Contents: Methods/Tools/Screening, Commentaries, Reviews/Meta-Analyses, Human Health Studies, Laboratory Studies, Exposure/Environment Studies

Highlights:

Circulating Microplastics in Acute Ischemic Stroke
Surface-driven endocrine activity of nanoplastics: polymer- and size-dependent estrogen and androgen receptors modulation without steroidogenesis perturbation.
Relationship between Micro- and Nanosized Plastics in Cord Blood and Birth Weight and Gestational Age of Newborns

Science summaries and highlights

Methods/Tools/Screening

Green toxicology only becomes beautiful through AI.

Linking chemical data from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database with adverse outcome pathways from the AOP-Wiki: a mechanistic data-oriented approach to help inform environmental health.

Prioritizing chemicals for developmental neurotoxicity by integrating data from a new approach methods (NAMs) battery covering key cellular events in neurodevelopment.

High-throughput protein target mapping enables accelerated bioactivity discovery for ToxCast and PFAS compounds.

AI snake oil? A risk/benefit analysis for toxicology.

Rethinking “Control” in Micro- and Nanoplastic Toxicology: Toward Exposure-Defined Reference States.

Organ-on-a-chip toxicology.

ToxBase: A Multidimensional ToxCast Reference Database for High-Throughput Human Exposome Analysis.

MechoA+: A Chemical Structure Profiler Raising the Bar for the Prediction of Mechanisms of Toxic Action for Chemical Safety Assessment.

Commentaries

Editorial: Transgenerational effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals: unraveling hormonal and health impacts across generations. [intro to a Research Topic in Frontiers in Endocrinology]

From Particles to Chemicals: Redefining the Impact of Agricultural Plastics on Water Quality.

Reviews/Meta-Analyses

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Epigenetic vulnerability in endocrine disruption: bridging mechanisms, models, and environmental inequities.

Endocrine Disruption and Male Fertility.

Environmental exposures and pediatric kidney health.

Environmental endocrine disruptors at the synapse: mechanisms linking chemical exposure to cognitive and behavioral dysfunction.

Not just splitting hairs-monitoring environmental chemical exposures, their biological effects and their social determinants with hair shafts and follicles: a narrative review.

Bisphenols/Phthalates

Deciphering the neurotoxic effects of emerging pollutants: Bisphenols and phthalates as disruptors of brain function and mental health.

The ovarian cost of convenience-Human studies on phthalate exposure and ovarian function.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Environmental and Prenatal Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Risk of Asthma and Respiratory Outcomes Across the Lifespan: A Review of Emerging Epidemiological Evidence and Mechanisms.

PFAS

Hormetic effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on ecologically relevant animal models: Generality, quantitative features, and risk assessment implications.

Pesticides

Pesticide exposure and the risk of arterial hypertension and obesity in farm workers: a systematic review of literature.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

The human microplastic burden and brain health: From measurement to pathophysiology and removal.

Micro-and Nano-Plastic Exposure as an Emerging Risk for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.

The epithelial barrier under siege: Comparative mechanisms and synergistic immunotoxicity of particulate matter and micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs).

Environmental Micro-Nanoplastics and Musculoskeletal Disorders: Current Research and Insights.

Microplastic induced cascades of multiple cell death pathways: inflammation, immune imbalance, and cancer susceptibility.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

Chemicals of Concern in Chemical Hair Straightening Products: A Scoping Review.

Benign by design: A paradigm shift in cosmetic ingredient development.

Human Health Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Co-exposure to perchlorate, nitrate, thiocyanate, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) mixtures is associated with increased rheumatoid arthritis risk: a population-based cross-sectional study.

Prenatal-to-childhood urinary phenol and metal biomarkers in relation to BMI trajectories in a 10-year birth cohort.

Exposure to environmental toxicants and obstructive sleep apnea: a cross-sectional study.

Service Year-Dependent Disruption of Reproductive Hormones and Altered DNA Methylation in Male Firefighters.

Bisphenols

Associations of bisphenol mixture exposure with glucose metabolism during mid-pregnancy: A focus on emerging substitutes in a Chinese birth cohort.

BPS and BPF linked to metabolic alterations independent of adiposity in Thai children and adolescents.

Phthalates

Prenatal phthalate exposure and emotional-behavioral problems in children aged 1.5 to 3 years from the PROTECT birth cohort.

Developmental Effect Modification of DEHP Exposure and Serum Testosterone Levels in a Taiwanese Population-Based Cohort.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Association between Pediatric Phthalate Exposures and Antibody Response to Vaccination from NHANES 2015-2016.

DEHP-induced male reproductive toxicity: Evidence from population studies, animal experiments, and multi-omics profiling.

PFAS

Association between per- and polyfluoroalkyl exposures and postpartum psychological symptoms: Evidence from two population-based pregnancy cohorts.

Associations of prenatal PFAS exposure with offspring neurobehavioral outcomes by maternal folate supplementation and cord blood 5-MTHF levels: a prospective birth cohort study.

Placental CYP450 gene dysregulation by maternal PFAS: a novel mechanism linking prenatal exposure to altered toddler growth.

Prenatal PFAS Exposure in a Twin Pregnancy Cohort: Associations with Thyroid Disruption, Placental Malperfusion, and Fetal Growth Restriction.

Fetal growth in relation to prenatal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure: A prospective birth cohort study.

Serum PFAS mixtures and risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in women undergoing assisted reproduction.

Dynamic exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and early alterations in cardiovascular hemodynamics: A 10-year longitudinal study in adolescents and young adults.

The associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and low body height and weight of US children-a revisitation of 2013-2014 NHANES biospecimen data.

Associations between Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Lung Cancer Risk: Mediating Roles of Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Telomere Length.

Environmental Exposure to Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Mixture Analysis.

Flame Retardants

Prenatal exposure to organophosphate ester flame retardants and plasticizers and maternal immune responses in three ECHO cohorts.

Early Pregnancy Exposure to Organophosphate Esters and Risk of Infant Atopic Dermatitis: Sex-Specific Association Analyses in a Community-Based Birth Cohort.

Association between maternal organophosphate esters metabolite levels during pregnancy and internalizing and externalizing behaviors in children at 2-5 years.

Pesticides

Is the Presence of Pesticides in the Environment a Problem for Everyone? A Comparison of People and Their Environment in the City and Near Crops Fields in the Austral Pampas Region of Argentina.

Association between pesticide use and liver injury: A field study in Taiwan.

Metals/Metalloids

Prenatal cadmium exposure and behavioural and emotional problems across childhood: findings from the INMA birth cohort.

Exposure to heavy metals and metalloids in PM_2.5 and thyroid hormones in pregnant women: a longitudinal study in China.

Exposure to heavy metals and trace elements and risk of dyslipidemia: a nested case-control analysis in rural adults.

Lead concentration in follicular fluid of infertile patients with and without endometriosis: a propensity score matching exploratory study.

The association between six heavy metal levels and the risk of liver fibrosis in women without gestational diabetes mellitus.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Differential distribution of microplastics in breast cancer and peritumoral tissues and relationship with clinical characteristics.

Relationship between Micro- and Nanosized Plastics in Cord Blood and Birth Weight and Gestational Age of Newborns.

Circulating Microplastics in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Feasibility, Variability, and Exploratory Comparisons with Healthy Individuals.

Air Pollution

Preconception and early-pregnancy exposure to ambient air pollution and trajectories of depressive symptoms during pregnancy.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

Benzophenones exposure and precocious puberty in Chinese children: A case-control study.

Laboratory Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Plasticizer-responsive molecular axes in heart failure: a subtype-aware toxicogenomic framework relevant to environmental health.

DEHA-Induced Hepatotoxicity Identified from Screening Food Packaging Non-Phthalate Plasticizers: An Integrative Computational, Multi-Omics, and Experimental Exposure Study.

Integrating network toxicology, machine learning, and single-cell sequencing to reveal the FASN-mediated role of phenolic endocrine disruptors in water in promoting prostate cancer.

Impact of chronic single or combined exposure to bisphenol A and perfluorooctanoic acid on human osteoblast spheroid.

Hexachlorobenzene and chlorpyrifos, environmental pollutants that disrupt the endocrine system, promote angiogenesis associated with endometriosis

Integrative multi-omics analysis identifies endocrine-disrupting chemical-related molecular mechanisms in migraine.

Bisphenols

The environmental estrogen Bisphenol (A) enhances lung cancer progression in vitro and in vivo in presence of estradiol by targeting PI3k/Akt pathway.

Bisphenol TMC Impaired Mouse Oocyte Maturation by Disrupting Spindle Assembly via NEK3-Mediated Microtubule Acetylation.

BCAT1 mediates the carcinogenic effects of environmental bisphenol exposure: mechanistic discoveries in osteosarcoma and pan-cancer analysis.

Protective effects of zingerone against bisphenol-A induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells: the role of TRPM2 channel.

In vitro assessment of human dermal exposure to emerging bisphenols: Bisphenol E (BPE) and Bisphenol B (BPB).

Comprehensive evaluation of Lactobacillus strains and Bacillus coagulans against Bisphenol-A induced neuronal and cardiac toxicities.

Protective Role of Ziziphus lotus Fruits and Leaves Extracts Towards BPA-Associated Testis Toxicity.

The Protective Effect of Galangin on Histopathological Lesions, Immunohistochemical Findings and Spermatological Parameters in Phthalate-Induced Testicular Damage in Rats.

Phthalates

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)-induced circadian disruption accelerates aging-related functional declines via oxidative stress and insulin/IGF-1 signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Lipid Dysregulation in Mouse Ovarian Antral Follicles After Oral Exposure to a Human Relevant Mixture of Three Phthalates.

Environmental phthalate exposure impairs cognition in aged males by coupling myelin injury to synaptic dysfunction via Nogo-A/S1PR2 signaling.

Age-dependent testicular autophagy disruption mediates juvenile susceptibility to dibutyl phthalate-induced reproductive toxicity.

Chronic exposure to diisopentyl phthalate impairs behavior, metabolism, and reproductive processes in adult female zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Effects of Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and hyperoxia on cardiovascular development in newborn rats.

Integrating network toxicology, molecular docking and experimental validation reveals potential mechanisms of DEHP in osteoarthritis.

PFAS

Mechanistic insights into the comparative ecotoxicity of PFOS and its emerging alternatives in zebrafish: An integrated multi-biomarker and molecular modeling approach.

Comparative reproductive toxicity of 6:2 FTS and PFOS in female zebrafish (Danio rerio): From histopathology to molecular response.

Exploring potential targets and mechanisms of male reproductive toxicity induced by the emerging PFAS GenX and F-53B via network toxicology, molecular docking, and in vivo validation.

Deep learning-based prediction of PFAS toxicity in zebrafish.

Integrative Proteomic and In Silico Analysis of Perfluorooctanoic Acid Exposures in Primary Human Placental Cytotrophoblasts.

Flame Retardants

Triphenyl Phosphate Triggers Zebrafish Muscle Damage With Altered Expression of Genes Involved in Nrf2-Keap1-ARE Pathway-Mediated Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis.

Pesticides

Exposure Matters: the Impact of Exposure Characteristics on In Vitro Neurotoxicity of Pesticides and Implications for Regulatory Testing.

Multigenerational effects of perinatal glyphosate exposure in rats: developmental alterations, increased mortality and oxidative imbalance.

Pre-conception exposure to low doses of malathion during the juvenile and pubertal periods impairs placentation and offspring fetal development in female Wistar rats.

Low-Dose Glyphosate-Based Herbicide Exposure Induces Oxidative Stress and Impairs Hormonal and Reproductive Function in Male Rats.

Reproductive toxicity of a nano-insecticide (chlorpyrifos) on male albino mice.

Protective Effect of Garlic on Diazinon Induced Kidney Toxicity in Rat: A Biochemical and Histopathological Evaluation.

Protective effects of rutin and quercetin against diazinon-induced toxicity in Wistar Rat Liver.

Metals/Metalloids

Possible Association of Disturbances in the Estrous Cycle with Anxiety-related Behavior in Aluminum-exposed Female Rats.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Surface-driven endocrine activity of nanoplastics: polymer- and size-dependent estrogen and androgen receptors modulation without steroidogenesis perturbation.

Polyethylene microplastics as emerging reproductive toxicants: Evidence from an oocyte-based mammalian model.

Isolation and Characterization of Nanoplastics from the Environment and Their Reproductive Toxicity.

Polystyrene Nanoplastics Exacerbate Systemic Lupus Erythematosus via Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) Formation.

Polystyrene nanoplastics induce mitochondrial dysfunction and stress responses in human PBMCs.

Priority Plastic Additives of Environmental Concern in Marine-Leaked Micro- and Macroplastics: Occurrence, Distribution, and Management Implications.

Uncovering the Hidden Risks: How PLA and PLGA Microplastics Disrupt Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Health.

Microplastic Exposure: Time-Dependent Effects on Oxidative Stress, Apoptosis, and Cellular Internalization in Fibroblast Cells.

Protective effects of multi-strain probiotics against polystyrene nanoplastic-induced parotid gland toxicity: role of NRF2/HO-1 and NF-κB pathways.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

The impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals diethylstilbestrol and ketoconazole on lipid storage in in vitro matured bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes.

Effects of exposure to ethinyl estradiol during pregnancy and lactation on the postinvolution mammary gland.

Exposure/Environment Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Awareness and Attitudes of Health Professionals on Endocrine Disruptors in Pregnancy.

PFAS

Communicating Pollutants That Threaten Tribal Identities: PFAS Contamination in Local Fish and Shellfish.

Factors affecting perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) serum concentration following fish consumption: implications for fish consumption advisories.

Occupational predictors of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance concentrations in a national biomonitoring survey of adults in Canada.

Legacy and Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Glacial Meltwater from Mt. Everest.

PFAS released into the Tangipahoa River after a petrochemical plant explosion and fire in Louisiana, USA.

PFASs contamination in groundwater of a chemical industrial park and its implications for adjacent surface water: Spatial distribution, source characteristics, and ecological risk.

Pesticides

Temporal Trends and Generation-Specific Shifts in Urinary Neonicotinoid Exposure in Southern China (2018-2024).

Metals/Metalloids

Toxic metals and urban oil and gas production in a Latina cohort in South Los Angeles, California.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Microplastic inhalation in waste management workers: evidence from nasal lavage and sputum analysis in a municipal landfill setting.

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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.

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EHN EHN

Developing an EDC training portal - Share your input
by Sarah Howard on June 23, 2026 at 2:41 pm
HEEDS and the Intersectoral Center for Endocrine Disruptor Analysis (ICEDA) are collaborating to create an online training portal on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). We are gathering input to better understand needs, potential uses, and content priorities. Please help by filling out the survey!
U.S. Office of Management and Budget proposes sweeping changes to federal grant administration
by Sarah Howard on June 22, 2026 at 2:54 pm
Comments are due July 13 on The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would fundamentally reshape how federal research grants are administered.
Webinar: Reporting on toxics & health: Lessons from covering “forever chemicals”
by Sarah Howard on May 26, 2026 at 4:56 pm
This June 25 webinar features award-winning reporters Sharon Lerner of ProPublica and Stéphane Horel of Le Monde who will discuss reporting on PFAS. Sponsored by CHE.

EHN EHN

Popular hair straightening products expose consumers and stylists to toxic chemicals
by Environmental Health Sciences Staff on June 19, 2026 at 7:01 pm
A recent review published in Current Environmental Health Reports found that two types of chemical hair straighteners - relaxers and keratin treatments - each contain multiple classes of known toxic chemicals.
Phthalate exposure in early life may lead to anxiety, rat study suggests
by EHN Curators on June 18, 2026 at 4:40 pm
Male rats exposed to the widely used plasticizer di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) during early development exhibited increased anxiety behavior as adults, according to a study presented at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Chicago.
An EPA researcher details the agency's assault on science
by EHN Curators on June 18, 2026 at 11:55 am
In January 2025, the Trump administration began shutting down projects within the EPA’s independent science division that touched on climate change and environmental justice.

EHN EHN

EU ban on BPA chemical in food packaging takes effect
by EHN Curators on June 23, 2026 at 12:32 pm
Beginning in July 2026 BPA will no longer be permitted in EU food packaging; the industrial chemical is known to interfere with the human hormonal system.
Australia's chemical regulator approves restricted use of herbicide paraquat previously linked to Parkinson's disease
by EHN Curators on June 23, 2026 at 12:25 pm
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority concludes its nearly 30-year review of the controversial but popular herbicide.
Amid national PFAS frenzy, the ‘Maine model’ shows states how to stop ‘forever chemicals’ at the source
by EHN Curators on June 22, 2026 at 11:40 am
As the federal government continues to water down PFAS protections, states have an opportunity to help their residents — but only if they avoid certain pitfalls and loopholes.