EDC Science Weekly, Aug. 21-27, 2026

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:August 27, 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:

Microplastics in human lung tissue from autopsy samples collected in 1991 and 2024: a comparative post-mortem study.
Targeted and non-targeted analysis of chemical contaminants in recycled plastics for food packaging.

Science summaries and highlights

Events

Aug. 27 (today!) webinar: Call to Action: Public Health Professionals for Microplastics Monitoring [Food and Water Action]

Aug. 28 – Dec. 4 fall seminar series [Duke Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program]

Sept. 2 webinar: Plastic Expelled: Exposing Industry Propaganda in Schools [Plastic Pollution Coalition]

Sept. 7 webinar: Prioritizing and Grouping Food Contact Chemicals: From Chaos to Clarity [Food Packaging Forum]

Sept. 9 webinar: Beyond the Usual Suspects: New Evidence on Priority Understudied Chemicals in ECHO [Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)]

Sept. 15 webinar: The Social Cost of Plastic [Beyond Plastics, Duke, NRDC]

Sept. 22-23: 2026 Plastics and Human Health Symposium (in NYC with streaming) [NYU Langone Health’s Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards (CIEH) and the Food Packaging Forum]

Sept. 30: Application due date for the HEEDS Lou Guillette Jr. Outstanding Young Investigator Award.

Oct. 1: Application due date for the Seeding Change/Agents of Change cohort.

Oct. 6 webinar: Glyphosate Science: Cancer, neurotoxicity & endocrine disruption [CHE]

Oct. 6 – Nov. 24 course: Plastics, Microplastics, and Human Health [Physician and Scientist Network Addressing Plastics and Health (P-SNAP)]

Oct. 8: Children’s Environmental Health Day [Children’s Environmental Health Network]

Oct. 13 workshop: What can nurses do about toxic chemicals? Toxics 101, Communicating Effectively About the Science and Health Effects & Opportunities for Action [Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE)]

Oct. 13 Grand Rounds: Growing Up in a Chemical World: Emerging Contaminants and Children’s Health [New England PEHSU and Boston Children’s Hospital]

Dec. 15 due date for Call for Papers: Microplastics, Community Health, and Public Health Actions [American Journal of Public Health]

Mar. 31 due date for Call For Papers: The Chemical Safety Knowledge Landscape: Mapping What We Know and What We Need to Know [ACS Publications]

Regulations/Policy

Knowledge gaps impeding plastic governance in the European Union.

Introducing OBEClust: A Pan-European Initiative to Harmonize Obesity Prevention Research and Strengthen Translation Into Policy

Biodiversity and chemical regulation: Status quo, data gaps, and recommendations for future action.

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

Methods/Tools/Screening

Mapping disease-linked AOPs to inform bioassay selection for chemical hazard assessment.

A Seismic Shift From Animal to “Human-Based” Research Is Underway—Here’s What to Know About Organoids [News item in JAMA]

ARACRA: Automated RNA-seq Analysis for Chemical Risk Assessment.

Multitask learning in predictive toxicology: methods, benchmarks, and applications.

Commentaries

PFAS: challenges and scientific perspectives in human health risk assessment.

Towards safe and just planetary boundaries for novel entities

Reviews/Meta-Analyses

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Food packaging-derived endocrine disruptors and breast cancer nutrition: dietary exposure, estrogen signaling, and survivorship implications.

From Prenatal Exposure to Adult Sexual Dysfunction: The Impact of Plastic-Derived Endocrine Disruptors on Testosterone Homeostasis and Erectile Function.

Phthalates

Sex-dependent vulnerability to early-life phthalates exposure and autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review.

Effects of phthalates on mammalian adipose tissue.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Effects of Parabens on Placental Development and Birth Outcomes: Evidence Based on Targeted Risk Assessment Environmental Chemicals Strategy.

Pesticides

Pesticide Exposure and Gynecological Cancers: A Review of Epidemiological Evidence and Mechanistic Pathways.

Pesticide Residues, Gut Microbiota, and Gastrointestinal Outcomes: A Scoping Review of Human Evidence.

Understanding pesticide pollution: sources, classification, environmental and health impacts, analytical approaches, and treatment techniques with special emphasis on India.

Glyphosate and health in Uruguay: A 25-year review of research on agricultural worker exposure.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Microplastics as carriers of environmental contaminants: Implications for human exposure, toxicokinetics, and health risk.

Mammalian reproductive and developmental toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics: a critical appraisal of evidence using the SciRAP tool.

Nanoplastics as potential environmental amplifiers of metabolic vulnerability: A systems perspective.

The Microplastic-Gut Microbiota Axis: A Unifying Framework Linking Environmental Pollution to Undernutrition, Obesity, and Metabolic Dysfunction.

Microplastics and nano-plastics as emerging gut-brain axis disruptors: mechanistic insights, health implications, and future direction.

Eco-corona: A new frontier in understanding micro- and nanoplastic-gut interactions.

Microplastics and nanoplastics: Characterizing potential health perturbations and mechanistic evidence.

Microplastic-induced carcinogenesis: Molecular mechanisms, cellular interactions, and toxicological implications.

Effects of Exposure to Micro- and Nanoplastics on Endometrial Injury and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: Evidence Integration Using the Targeted Risk Assessment of Environmental Chemicals Framework.

Micro- and Nanoplastic Pollution and Renal Health: Human Evidence, Mechanisms, and Clinical Implications.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

Potential Neuroendocrine Disruption by Benzodiazepines and Its Impact on Male Fertility.

Human Health Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Treg/Th Cell Imbalance Is Negatively Associated with Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis and Growth Impairment in Children Exposed to PFAS, PAHs, and Phthalates.

Plastic-associated chemicals on vulvar skin – Dermal exposure and effects on keratinocytes.

PFAS

Associations of Prenatal Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure with Neonatal Birth Weight z-Scores: The Potential Mediating Role of Maternal Glucose Homeostasis.

Genetic evidence for the association between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure and rheumatoid arthritis risk: A Mendelian randomization study.

Associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and dental caries in the US adults.

Effects of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Exposure Reduction on Serum Lipids in the Copenhagen City Heart Study: A Protocol for an Observational Cohort Study Emulating a Target Trial.

Exposure to Legacy and Novel Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Diminished Ovarian Reserve: Evidence from Blood-Follicle Transfer and Mixture Risk Assessment in Reproductive-Aged Women.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances mixture exposure is associated with colorectal cancer TNM stage.

Flame Retardants

Organophosphate flame retardants and incident type 2 diabetes: Integrating population evidence, mechanistic insights, and effect modification by healthy lifestyle.

Pesticides

Prenatal Organophosphate Exposure and Autism-Related Traits in Children.

A Multi-Pathway Approach to Pesticide Exposure in Agricultural Communities: Protocol for an Observational Study.

Metals/Metalloids

Water Arsenic Levels and Breast Cancer Risk in a United States-Wide Prospective Cohort.

Prenatal fluoride exposure and pregnancy outcomes in two US pregnancy cohorts.

Cadmium dominates urinary heavy metal mixtures associated with COPD risk: Integrative evidence from NHANES, network pharmacology, and experimental validation.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Association between Microplastic Exposure and Hepatic Dysfunction in Humans: A Cross-Sectional Study of Occupationally Exposed Individuals.

Laboratory Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Toxic Mechanisms Underlying Prostate Cancer Induction by Water Pollutants: Based on Network Toxicology, Molecular Docking, and Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Identification of chemicals targeting dementia genes and pathways in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database.

Evaluating the potential of foodborne chemicals to modulate intestinal barrier function: a combined in vitro/in silico toolbox to study the effects on tight junction protein claudin-4.

Chronic low-dose of BPS and PFOS alter adipogenic programming and impair insulin responsiveness in human adipocytes.

Environmental Endocrine Disruptors Activate CBX2 to Disrupt Cholesterol Homeostasis in PCOS. [BPA and DDT]

Behavioural, neurochemical, and neurohistological effects of bisphenol A and vanadium following chronic co-administration in mice.

Bisphenols

Transcriptomic- and metabolomic-based elucidation of macrophage inflammatory response in gestational bisphenol A (BPA)-induced cholesterol metabolic reprogramming.

Chronic bisphenol A exposure at LOAEL induces hepatic metabolic remodeling associated with NAFLD-related pathways and hepatocarcinogenic susceptibility.

A food-derived flavonol, myricetin, mitigates bisphenol S-associated metabolic dysfunction and partial intergenerational lipid dysregulation in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Puerarin alleviates bisphenol S induced neurobehavioral impairments via remodeling the gut-brain axis and activating the BDNF/TrkB/CREB pathway.

Maternal Large Yellow Tea Supplementation Confers Intergenerational Protection Against BPA-Induced Metabolic and Behavioral Disorders in Mice.

Phthalates

Sub‑chronic dietary exposure to environmentally relevant doses of di‑(2‑ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) induces hepatic steatosis in female mice via disrupting the PPARγ pathway and inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress: In vivo and in vitro evidence.

Integrating Network Toxicology and Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Compare the Neuroendocrine Disruption Mechanisms of Six Phthalate Esters.

Maternal di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) exposure alters offspring gut microbiota and the colonic transcriptome in a sex-specific manner.

Diisodecyl phthalate aggravates thyroid autoimmune injury in thyroglobulin-sensitized rats via endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis and Th17/Treg dysregulation.

Chronic Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and Diisononyl phthalate Exposure Impairs Uterine Endometrial Glycogen Metabolism in Mice.

Chronic Early-Life Exposure to Dicyclohexyl Phthalate (DCHP) Impairs Host Defense in Caenorhabditis elegans and Is Associated with Transcriptional Alterations in p38 MAPK and Insulin-like Signaling Pathways.

Perinatal exposure to the environmental pollutant butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) induces sex-specific alterations in the neuro-immune-endocrine network in adult rats.

No overt reproductive impairment in zebrafish following life-cycle exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of diphenyl phosphate (DPhP).

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Triclosan induces DNA damage in human ovarian granulosa cells via mitochondrial superoxide overproduction mediated by suppressed glutathione synthesis.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Release of bound steroid from the androgen and estrogen receptors is induced by DDT and its analogs.

Transmission and prevention of uterine dysfunction in daughters of dioxin-exposed male mice.

PFAS

Mechanistic PBPK/PD modeling of PFOS-associated cholesterol response and its application in human health risk assessment.

Perfluorodecanoic Acid (PFDA) induces ovarian toxicity and premature aging via mitochondrial dysfunction.

PFAS exposure alters gut microbiota metabolites associated with hepatic metabolism: a pilot study.

Acute Exposure to Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) During Cardiomyogenesis disrupts Transcriptional and Electrophysiological Profiles in Differentiated Myocytes.

A human PBMC-based new approach method reveals PFAS-driven T-cell proliferation and immune dysregulation.

Unveiling the neurodevelopmental toxicity of PFOA and PFOS: evidence from integration of in silico and in vitro study.

Unraveling the toxicological mechanisms of PFAS in metabolic diseases by network toxicology and molecular docking.

PFOS-induced mitochondrial ROS impairs male reproductive function by suppressing FTO-dependent m⁶A RNA demethylation.

Early Life Exposure to PFOS or F‑53B is Associated with Increased Asthma Susceptibility in Offspring and Alterations in the Pulmonary Barrier, Immune Function, and Gut Microbiota.

Flame Retardants

2-Ethylhexyl Diphenyl Phosphate (EHDPP) Induces Hepatic Expression of Cytochrome P450s, Liver Damage, and Genotoxicity in Mice.

Organotins

The role of toll-like receptors in tributyltin-, dibutyltin-, and pentachlorophenol-induced stimulation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) production in human immune cells.

Maternal Tributyltin Exposure Is Associated With Male-Biased Immune Dysregulation Across Generations.

Pesticides

Chlorpyrifos exposure remodels the spermatogenic niche and alters testicular epigenetic dynamics in the absence of overt reproductive toxicity.

Organophosphate Pesticides Promote Cardiovascular Toxicity via NF-κB/NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Endothelial Dysfunction: Integrated In Vivo and In Vitro Evidence.

Glyphosate Induces Intestinal Inflammatory Injury Associated with Mitochondrial-Lysosomal Dysfunction, cGAS-STING Activation, and Pyroptosis-Related Responses in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.).

Potential Mechanism of Paraquat-Induced Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption: IL-17A as a Risk Accelerator for Disrupting bEnd.3 Cells Tight Junction.

Neuroprotective Effects of Senecio brasiliensis Extract Against Chlorpyrifos-Induced Neurotoxicity and Oxidative Stress in Drosophila melanogaster.

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

Intermittent Organophosphate Pesticide Exposure Induces Hepatic Injury in Goats with Subclinical Fatty Liver via Immune Activation and Energy Metabolism Reprogramming.

Serum Metabolomic Alterations and Developmental Toxicity Induced by Diquat Exposure in Pregnant Rats and Their Fetuses: A Preliminary Study.

Metals/Metalloids

Chronic arsenic exposure induces hepatic lipid metabolism disorder by regulating the FXR/SREBP1 signaling pathway.

In vitro protective effects of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside against toxicity induced by continuous exposure to antimony(III) in intestinal epithelial cells.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Polystyrene Nanoplastics Disrupt Mouse Placenta Development in a Sex-Dependent Manner.

Polypropylene microplastics orchestrate oxidative stress microenvironment and trigger metabolic reprogramming in mouse kidney as revealed by Raman spectra and metabolomics.

Behavioural, metabolic and neuroxidative effects in juvenile Sparus aurata exposed to conventional and biobased microplastics.

ROS-Driven Crosstalk Between Ferroptosis and Necroptosis Mediates Neurotoxicity Induced by Maternal Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics in Zebrafish.

Leaching of Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate from Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics in Synthetic Freshwater, Seawater, and Fish In Vitro Digestion Fluids.

The modulatory effects of polystyrene microplastics on BPA-induced DNA damage and neurotoxicity during early stages development in zebrafish.

Combined Thermal Stress and Nanoplastic Exposure Induce Oxidative-Mediated Neurodevelopmental Toxicity and Behavioral Alterations in Zebrafish.

Integrating network toxicology and transcriptomics to identify CXCL8, EGFR, PTPRC, MYC, and AKT1 as key targets of microplastic-induced miscarriage.

Polyethylene Nanoplastic Exposure Causes Miscarriage by Impairing Trophoblast NAD⁺ Metabolism via Mitochondrial Dysfunction.

Aged polystyrene nanoplastics and bisphenol A co-exposure impair mitochondrial respiration in juvenile horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus.

The contribution of polymer additives to microplastic toxicity: A long-term study with Oncorhynchus mykiss exposed to polystyrene microparticles with different hexabromocyclododecane content.

Swimming in Plastamination: Polylactic Acid (PLA) Nanoplastics Affect Bull Sperm Functions.

Environmental Polyethylene Terephthalate Micro- and Nanoplastics Promote Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Progression Through Mitochondrial ROS-Associated AKT/GSK3β/β-Catenin Signaling.

Possible Role of Gut Microbiota in Polypropylene Microplastics-Induced Immunity and Reproductive Dysfunction in Mice.

Protective effects of melatonin against polystyrene nanoplastic-induced placental dysfunction and adverse pregnancy outcomes in rats.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

Naproxen at environmentally relevant doses modulates ovarian folliculogenesis: Morphometric analysis and Bcl-2 immunohistochemical expression in Wistar rats after chronic exposure.

Intrauterine benzophenone-3 exposure alters mammary gland architecture without impairing lactational performance.

Anabolic steroid-induced endocrine disruption: A histological study on the ovary and vagina of the albino rat. Protective role of propolis.

Tire Wear Chemicals

Novel environmental contaminant 6PPD-quinone promotes malignant phenotypes in colorectal cancer cells and identifies candidate response-associated genes.

Intestinal toxicity mechanisms of 6PPD and 6PPD-Q and their potential relevance to inflammatory bowel disease: network toxicology and experimental evidence.

Metabolomics reveals lipid metabolic disruption in frogs exposed to tire wear particle leachates.

Miscellaneous

Dibromoacetic Acid Induces Hypothyroidism: From Network Toxicology to SOCS1-Mediated Mechanistic Validation.

Exposure/Environment Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Targeted and non-targeted analysis of chemical contaminants in recycled plastics for food packaging.

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls and toxic metals in short-tailed shearwaters following a mass mortality event.

Bisphenols

Target quantification and ion mobility-HRMS suspect screening of BPA and its alternatives in human urine.

Quantitative evaluation of bisphenol A, S, and F migration from canned beverages: impact of storage conditions and associated health risk assessment.

Phthalates

Biomonitoring-based exposure assessment of phthalate and non-phthalate plasticizers: methodological insights from a 7-day consecutive sampling case study in Korea.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Methylparaben and Ethylparaben Exposure Through Breast Milk in the First Six Months of Lactation: A Taiwanese Cohort Study With Estimated Daily Intake for Breastfed Infants.

PFAS

Validation of an integrated analytical method for the simultaneous quantification of 12 PFAS in drinking water, plant-based milk alternatives and skimmed milk.

Presence of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Domestic Wastewater from Community Septic Systems in New Hampshire.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Portuguese primary schools: Occurrence in air and implications for children’s inhalation exposure.

Occurrence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in indoor dust from a University in Eastern China and their association with residents’ hair levels.

PFAS at a closed fluorochemical manufacturing facility in China: multi-media contamination and human health risks.

PFAS contamination and risk assessment at an AFFF production site in China: Signatures of fluorosurfactant feedstocks.

Unveiling the complex PFAS landscape in firefighting foams applied in the Yangtze River Delta of China: Comprehensive composition analysis and toxicity profiling.

Flame Retardants

Riverine transport dynamics and historical trends of emerging and legacy flame retardants in an urbanized coastal zone: Pollutant management effectiveness in China.

Pesticides

Neonicotinoid Levels Exceed EPA Benchmarks in Half of Waterways on Illinois Protected Lands.

Occurrence and environmental risk assessment of neonicotinoids, fipronil, sulfoxaflor, and their transformation products in European coastal and riverine ecosystems.

Metals/Metalloids

Mercury Levels and Their Determinants in Women of Reproductive Age in the Brazilian Amazon: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Microplastics in human lung tissue from autopsy samples collected in 1991 and 2024: a comparative post-mortem study.

Microplastics in groundwater: An updated systematic review of occurrence, hydrogeological controls, methodological challenges, and regulatory gaps.

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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

Course: Plastics, microplastics, and human health
by Sarah Howard on August 25, 2026 at 12:19 pm
The Physician and Scientist Network Addressing Plastics and Health (P-SNAP) is holding an online course on Tuesdays from Oct. 6 to Nov. 24 geared to physicians, researchers and healthcare personnel. Info/register here.
Lou Guillette, Jr. Outstanding Young Investigator Award
by Sarah Howard on July 24, 2026 at 12:33 pm
Due Sept. 30! HEEDS is accepting applications for the 2026 Lou Guillette, Jr. Outstanding Young Investigator Award. Sponsored by Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS), the award honors the late scientist and mentor, Lou Guillette, Jr. Information here.
Plastics and human health symposium
by Sarah Howard on July 15, 2026 at 12:36 pm
The third annual symposium on plastics and health will be held at NYU and streamed online on Sept. 22-23, 2026. The event will focus on individual environments where plastics abound and discuss opportunities and effects of solutions, focusing on the science-policy interface. Sponsored by NYU Langone Health's Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards (CIEH) and the Food Packaging Forum. Register here.

EHN EHN

Use of scented products increases air pollution inside homes
by Environmental Health Sciences Staff on September 12, 2026 at 12:40 am
A recent study published in Environment International found that the use of scented products like incense, oil diffusers, and candles significantly raises air pollution levels indoors.
Study unveils chemistry of destroying ‘forever chemicals’
by EHN Curators on September 10, 2026 at 4:54 pm
UC Riverside environmental engineers have identified key chemical reactions that occur when ultraviolet light is used to destroy “forever chemical” pollutants in water, providing a roadmap for developing more effective cleanup technologies.
How microplastics may weaken the human immune system
by EHN Curators on September 10, 2026 at 4:49 pm
Microplastics have become one of the most pervasive signs of the industrial age, turning up in the deepest ocean trenches, on alpine peaks, in the food we eat and the air we breathe.

EHN EHN

EPA coordinated with Bayer on reapproval for controversial herbicide dicamba
by EHN Curators on September 11, 2026 at 12:20 pm
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) worked directly with pesticide maker Bayer in approving the controversial herbicide dicamba earlier this year.
Ask a scientist: How can we make sure environmental rules work in the real world?
by EHN Curators on September 10, 2026 at 4:59 pm
A new report examines how cumulative impacts analysis could help states and communities build stronger, more equitable environmental protections.
Sunscreen safety in Australia: Why researchers are calling for stricter regulations on chemical UV filters
by EHN Curators on September 10, 2026 at 4:20 pm
The chemical, found in dozens of popular sunscreens, can potentially act as an endocrine disruptor.