EDC Science Weekly, Aug. 8-14, 2025

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:August 14, 2025
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:

From Fundamental Biology to Toxicology by Way of an Accident.
Early-life microplastic exposure elicits ADHD-like behaviors by disrupting dopaminergic neurodevelopment in zebrafish.
Serum Levels of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Adults Aged 18 and Older in Relation to the Length of Residency in United States.
Interference with systemic negative feedback as a potential mechanism for nonmonotonic dose-responses of endocrine-disrupting chemicals

Science summaries and highlights

Events

Aug. 17 in-person workshop: How to conduct gold-star systematic reviews [PRHE, at the ISEE-ISES conference]

Aug. 20 webinar: Tools and resources: Microplastics [EPA]

Aug. 27 webinar: Plastic bottled water: The poison we pay for [Plastic Pollution Coalition]

Sept. 15: ECHO symposium: translating science to action [hybrid] [NIH Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)]

Sept. 17 webinar: The Health Effects of Chemicals used in Food Packaging [Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments]

Sept. 22: Plastics, Human Health, and Solutions Symposium [NYU Langone Health Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards (CIEH)]

Sept. 29 conference: REACH revision 2025: simpler, faster, bolder, in Brussels [HEAL and CHEM Trust]

Oct. 14 webinar: ToxicDocs: A database of once-secret chemical industry documents [CHE]

Note: HEEDS is now accepting applications for the Lou Guillette, Jr. Outstanding Young Investigator Award, due Sept. 30.

More events

Regulations/Policy

Current Water Quality Guidelines may not protect Wildlife from PFOS Bioaccumulation in Freshwater Ecosystems.

An overview of agricultural neonicotinoid regulation in the EU, Canada, and the United States.

Modernizing U.S. Sunscreen Regulations: How Newer Filters Can Improve Public Health.

Turning tobacco Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) into Extended Producer Liability (EPL): critical safeguards for the UN Plastics Treaty.

More EDC policy, FPF’s regulations open for comment, Science’s Trump-Tracker, and links to preserved resources removed from U.S. federal websites

Methods/Tools/Screening

Are New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) the Holy Grail of Toxicology?

An optimized zebrafish obesogenic test protocol with an artificial intelligence-based analysis software for screening obesogens and anti-obesogens.

Effect-based high-throughput screening of environmental water samples: Focus on liver toxicity pathways and endocrine disruption.

Which Modern AI Methods Provide Accurate Predictions of Toxicological End Points? Analysis of Tox24 Challenge Results.

Evaluating the World Health Organization Toxic Equivalency Factors of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins, Dibenzofurans, and Biphenyls for Applicability to Amphibians using an In Vitro Ah Receptor Transactivation Assay.

Commentaries

From Fundamental Biology to Toxicology by Way of an Accident. [by Ana Soto]

The Dangerous Precedent of Silencing Government Science.

Plastamination: A One Health and Planetary Health Perspective on a Rising Global Crisis.

The Rise of Nanoagriculture: An Alarming Wake-up Call for “One Health”.

Reviews/Meta-Analyses

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

The association between environmental endocrine disruptors and the risk of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Binary combined toxicity of neonicotinoids and co-existing pollutants to non-target invertebrates: A meta-analysis.

From particulates to pathways: environmental exposures and their impact on Alzheimer’s disease.

Potential Role of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Preeclampsia: A Hypothesis Based on Integration of Epidemiological and Experimental Evidence.

Ubiquitous Environmental Exposures and Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Narrative Review.

A comprehensive review/expert statement on environmental risk factors of cardiovascular disease.

Protective effects of taurine against chemical and natural compound-induced toxicity: mechanistic insights and therapeutic potential.

Phthalates

Di-butyl phthalates (DBP) in the environment: health risks and advances in treatment technologies.

PFAS

The relationship between PFAS exposure and dyslipidemia: an updated review, meta-analysis, and evaluation of bias.

Importance of post-translational protein modifications in PFAS toxicity.

Flame Retardants

Human exposure to organophosphate esters (OPEs): A meta-analytic review of levels and distribution.

Pesticides

Curcumin as an antidote to atrazine on estrogen homeostasis and beyond: mechanistic insights from a targeted literature review.

Metals/Metalloids

Carcinogenicity of some metals evaluated by the IARC Monographs: A synopsis of the evaluations of arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, and antimony.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Systematic Review of Potential Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity of Microplastics.

Nanoplastics: An Emerging Environmental Concern in Age-related Diseases.

Nanoparticle Uptake and Crossing by Human In Vitro Models of Intestinal Barriers: A Scoping Review.

Human Health Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

The link between prenatal exposure to a chemical mixture, cord blood hormones, and birth weight: an epidemiologic study.

Emerging plasticizers in Eastern China: Population exposure and lipid metabolism related health risks.

Bisphenols/Phthalates/Parabens

Longitudinal analysis of maternal exposure to phthalates and bisphenol A and their impact on infant neurodevelopment and autistic behavior: The potential mediating role of thyroid hormones.

Associations of Urinary Metabolites of Parabens and Bisphenol a with Premature Thelarche Among a Sample of Iranian Girls.

Relationship of Parental Phthalate Exposure with Fetal Growth and Placental Development at Birth.

Phthalate Reduction as a Mediator Linking Probiotic or Yogurt Consumption to Reduced Depressive Symptoms: Evidence From NHANES 2005-2018.

Associations of phthalate metabolites in urine and follicular fluid with endometrial thickness in the TREE cohort.

Maternal phthalate exposure, gestational length, and preterm birth risk: a prospective cohort study nested within a randomised trial.

Associations between urinary biomarkers of phthalates and phthalate alternatives and female sexual function in a North American cohort.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Assessment of organochlorine pesticides in blood and tumor of breast cancer patients and control subjects from Punjab, Pakistan.

Polygenic Risk, Agent Orange Exposure, and Lymphoid Neoplasms in the Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Program.

PFAS

Serum levels of per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances and methylation of DNA from peripheral blood.

The association between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and biological aging among middle and older age adults: The moderating effect of caffeine.

Serum perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and the risk of kidney function decline: Unraveling the mediating role of iron status.

Exposure of perfluorohexane sulfonate alters platelet homeostasis: From epidemiological evidence to mechanistic insights.

Flame Retardants

Sex-specific DNA methylation changes in placental thyroid hormone regulatory genes following prenatal exposure to flame retardants.

Single and combined brominated flame retardants exposures are associated with sex steroid hormones in US adults: NHANES 2013-2016 analysis.

Pesticides

Serum neonicotinoid insecticides levels and gestational diabetes mellitus: mediation by plasma metabolomic alterations.

Associations between pesticide exposure and hepatobiliary disease among agricultural workers in the Northeastern region of Thailand: a cross-sectional study.

Metals/Metalloids

Longitudinal associations and interactions of heat and metal(loid) exposure with kidney outcomes in Mexican agricultural workers.

Heavy metal burden in the urine and cancer risk.

Air Pollution

Association between long-term exposure to low ambient benzene concentrations and mental disorders in the UK: A nested case-control study.

Comprehensive insights into the disease burden linked to air pollution exposure across U.S. states: findings from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study.

Metabolome-wide associations with short-term exposure to PM_2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: a study in older adults.

Modification of associations between ambient PM_2.5 and vital signs by β-blocker prescription status among individuals with heart failure.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

A Prospective Study of Hair Dyes and Uterine Leiomyomata Incidence in the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids.

Miscellaneous

Community-level polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure and circulating microRNAs: Exploring their origins and regulatory functions in immune cells.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure as a potential risk factor for miscarriage among women in the United States: A secondary dataset analysis of NHANES data for the period 2005-2014.

Laboratory Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Interference with systemic negative feedback as a potential mechanism for nonmonotonic dose-responses of endocrine-disrupting chemicals

The effects of acute and chronic exposure to bisphenols and PFAS on neuronal activity and network development.

Evaluation of the Potential Effects of Three Chemicals on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid (HPT) and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) Axes Using the Larval Amphibian Growth and Development Assay (LAGDA).

BPA/Phenols

4T1 breast cancer cells exposed to extracellular vesicles from MDA-MB-231 cells stimulated with bisphenol A increase the growth of mammary tumors and metastasis in female Balb/cJ mice.

Bisphenol A promotes OSCC progression via GABBR1-mediated MAPK signaling and macrophage polarization: A network toxicology based study.

Bisphenol A and its analogs perturb primitive myelopoiesis and inhibit innate immune cell formation during early developmental stages of zebrafish.

Bisphenol AF exposure induced synaptic plasticity and neurobehavioral impairments via triggering the ROS-mediated PERK-eIF2α-ATF4 signaling pathway in adolescent mice.

Targeted Metabolomics and Widely Targeted Quantitative Lipidomics Reveal Synergistic Metabolic Interference in Adipose Tissue After the Combined Chronic Exposure to Bisphenol A Substitutes, Bisphenol S and Bisphenol F, and Fructose in Male Rats.

Sex-dependent epigenetic disruption of YY1 binding by prenatal BPA exposure downregulates Matr3 and alters Agap1 splicing in the offspring hippocampus.

Phthalates

Hyperoside protects human osteoblasts from phthalate-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and apoptosis.

Identification of key genes involved in phthalate-induced male erectile dysfunction: Insights from network toxicology and bioinformatics analyses.

Astragalus polysaccharides protect against Di-n-butyl phthalate-induced testicular damage by modulating oxidative stress, apoptosis, and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in rats.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Investigating the Mechanisms of Triclocarban-Induced Liver Injury: A Comprehensive Analysis Based on Network Toxicology and In Vivo Experiments.

Triclocarban Disrupts Hepatic Lipid Homeostasis and Promotes Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Mice: A Multiomics Investigation.

Triclosan inhibits human trophoblast cell migration via TCF12-mediated RASSF8 regulation.

Structure-activity relationships of halogenated disinfectants as potent inhibitors of 5α-reductase type 1: Potential impact on neurosteroid synthesis.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Neurotoxic effects of endosulfan on zebrafish (Danio rerio): Cognitive impairments, metallomic alterations, and impact of donepezil treatment.

Ex vivo exposure to p,p’-DDE decreases human macrophage polarization to the M1 phenotype.

TCDD Induces Hepatocytes Lipid Deposition via Downregulation of MFN2.

PFAS

Elucidating the impact of PFAS exposure on diabetes through integrated network toxicology.

HFPO-TA induces liver damage and ferroptosis in zebrafish by disrupting iron metabolism homeostasis.

PFOA exposure promotes prostate cancer progression by enhancing autophagy through m⁶A modification of MAPK15 mRNA.

A preliminary investigation into the in vivo kinetics of branched isomers of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids in human bile, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid: A comparison to linear isomers.

Long-term exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (GenX) induces trans-generational motor deficits through H3K27 demethylase jmjd-1.2 /PHF8 in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Chlorogenic Acid Alleviates Early-Life GenX Exposure-Induced Neurotoxicity via Decreasing Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Pyroptosis by the Systemic Translocation and Suppressing the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB Pathway.

Flame Retardants

Transcriptomic and functional analysis of triphenyl phosphate exposure in prostate cancer progression.

Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate alters gut microbiota and hepatic metabolism in freshwater turtles at environmentally relevant concentrations.

Tetrabromobisphenol A Induces Neurotoxicity in Adult Zebrafish: Insights from the Gut Microbiota-Bile Acid-Brain Axis.

Sex-specific DNA methylation changes in placental thyroid hormone regulatory genes following prenatal exposure to flame retardants.

Organotins

Spatially resolved lipid disruption induced in Daphnia magna by environmentally relevant exposure to obesogens tributyltin and pyriproxyfen.

Pesticides

Co-administered chitosan and ivy leaf extract reduce deltamethrin-induced testicular toxicity.

Neurobehavioral and Metabolic Effects of Prenatal Low-Dose Chlorpyrifos in C57BL/6J Mice.

Evaluation of Neurotoxicity of Neonicotinoid Insecticides Using Lipidomics.

Gestational exposure to fenvalerate induces attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder-like behaviors partially through altered DNA hydroxymethylation in the fetal midbrain of weaning offspring.

Prenatal pyrethroid exposure, placental gene network modules, and neonatal neurobehavior.

Permethrin Stimulates Fat Accumulation via Regulating Gut Microbiota and Its Metabolites in Mice.

Overlooked secondary toxicity of culinary solvothermal transformation products of pesticides.

Hepatic toxicity assessment of organophosphorus insecticide isazophos on zebrafish.

Probiotic Lactobacillus Strains Mitigate Chlorpyrifos-Induced Lung and Heart Toxicity in Rats via Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Mechanisms.

Metals/Metalloids

Early-Life Arsenic Exposure Induces Histone H3K9 Methylation Causing PANoptosis and Neurodevelopmental Impairments in Offspring.

Reproductive toxicity in male rats induced by chronic arsenic exposure involves hormonal and structural changes.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Early-life microplastic exposure elicits ADHD-like behaviors by disrupting dopaminergic neurodevelopment in zebrafish.

Gestational exposure to micro and nanoplastics differentially impacts cardiac development and function in male and female rats throughout the lifespan.

The Trojan horse effect of nanoplastics exacerbates methylmercury-induced neurotoxicity during zebrafish development.

Unveiling the pathogenic mechanisms of polyethylene terephthalate-microplastic-driven osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: PTGS2 signaling hub-oriented toxicity profiling.

Polystyrene Accelerates Aging Related-Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis and -Metabolites in Old-Aged Mouse.

Polystyrene/polylactic acid microplastics impair transzonal projections and oocyte maturation via gut microbiota-mediated lipoprotein lipase inhibition.

Polystyrene nanoplastics-induced methuosis in brain microvascular endothelial cells: Rescue via ESCRT membrane repair system.

Roles of bio-based microplastics in modulating the toxic effects of the herbicide metolachlor on the South American native species Palaemon argentinus: Single and co-exposure effects.

Gut microbiota contributes to polystyrene nanoplastics-induced fetal growth restriction by disturbing placental nicotinamide metabolism.

Visualizing the internalization and biological impact of nanoplastics in live intestinal organoids by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM).

The exploration of chronic combined toxic mechanisms of environmental PFOA and polyethylene micro/nanoplastics on adult zebrafish (Danio rerio), using aquatic microcosm systems.

Integrative lipidomic and transcriptomic analysis unraveled polystyrene nanoplastics-induced liver injury via oral and inhalation exposure: All roads lead to Rome?

Miscellaneous

Levonorgestrel-induced anal fin masculinization in mosquitofish: Do TGF-β/BMP signaling and osteogenic remodeling underpin endocrine disruption in aquatic ecosystem?

Molecular mechanisms of dose-dependent regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism by BaP through modulation of AhR binding to XRE1 or XRE3.

Environmentally relevant concentrations of 6-PPDQ disrupt vitamin D3 adsorption and receptor function in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Exploring the Diagnostic Potential of Core Targets of 6PPD and Its Metabolite 6PPD-Q in Cardiovascular Diseases: An Integrated Analysis Based on Network Toxicology, Molecular Docking, and In Vitro Validation.

Exposure/Environment Studies

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Biomonitoring and Exposure Predictors of 29 Dioxin, Furan, and dl-PCB Congeners in Newborn Meconium from Spain.

Persistent organic pollutants in food systems: A comparative study across four contrasting socio-ecosystems: Portugal, Senegal, French Guiana, and Guadeloupe.

Environmental fate of POPs under climate change: Regulation of POPs distribution by soil organic matter and microbial communities during glacial retreat.

PFAS

Exposure characteristics of legacy PFAS, and their precursors and alternatives among children and adolescents of Korea.

Unveiling novel and legacy PFAS in human hair.

Serum Levels of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Adults Aged 18 and Older in Relation to the Length of Residency in United States.

PFAS in Rural U.S. Well Water: Using Participatory Science to Identify and Communicate Results to Address Risks.

Fate and removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances throughout landfill leachate treatment processes: Uncovering precursor transformation and sludge-mediated reappearance.

Assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in Sydney drinking water.

Flame Retardants

Exposure profiles and health risk assessment of PBDEs in the general population of Guangzhou: insights from the biomonitoring program.

Pesticides

Urinary pesticide biomarkers from adolescence to young adulthood in an agricultural setting in Ecuador: Study of secondary exposure to pesticides among children, adolescents, and adults (ESPINA) 2016 and 2022 examination data.

Strong Evidence of Organophosphite Antioxidant Transformation as an Important Source of High-Risk Novel Organophosphate Esters in River Water.

Metals/Metalloids

Plant-based protein supplements as emerging sources of metal exposure: A risk assessment study.

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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

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.