EDC Science Weekly, Dec. 12-18, 2025

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:December 18, 2025
Post category:EDC Science Weekly

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

Happy Holidays! We will be taking a break over the holidays; see you in January. Don’t miss Jerry Heindel’s Christmas Magic Lightshow 2025!

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

Highlights:

Science summaries and highlights

Events

Jan. 11 – 14: Microplastics exposure and human health conference [in person in Santa Fe, NM]

Jan. 15: application due date for May 26 – June 9 course, Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Hazards and Opportunities (ECHO) [Marine Biological Laboratory]

Jan. 15: application due date for travel awards for the June 8 – 10 National PFAS Conference, in person in Tucson AZ. Abstracts are due Jan. 31.

Jan. 21 webinar: The Race to Research: Plastic, Microplastics, and Human Health [Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment]

Jan. 22 webinar: CHE Café: How states can lead on environmental health [CHE]

Jan. 23: application due date for the Endocrine Society’s Research Experiences for Graduate and Medical Students 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. Abstracts due Jan 20, submit here.

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

Regulations/Policy

Need for a New Federal Approach for Responding to Chemical Exposure Caused by Community-Wide Contamination.

Hazard identification and characterization of leachable chemicals from plastic products – a new PARC project.

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

Methods/Tools/Screening

Integrative Assessment of Endocrine Disruption: From In Vitro Mechanisms to Species Extrapolation – Highlights of the German Pharma Tox Summit 2025.

The assessment for potential thyroid-mediated endocrine disruption in amphibians: Clarification on the use of new methods and on the interpretation of changes in thyroid histology. [EFSA]

Computational characterisation of ecological hazard and risk of environmental mixtures. [EFSA]

Cumulative exposure of xenobiotics of emerging concern from agrifood under the One Health approach (XENOBAC4OH). [EFSA]

OrbiTox: a visualization platform for NAMs and read-across exploration of multi-domain data.

Deconjugation enzymes – pitfalls, contamination risks, and practical insights from human biomonitoring of bisphenols, phthalates, and oxidative stress markers.

S²CIE: semantic, syntactic, and context-based information extraction for AOP development.

Toxicophore-informed machine learning integrating Tox21 assay readouts for organ system-specific carcinogenicity prediction.

Commentaries

Plastics in Every Breath: The Silent Respiratory Health Threat We Cannot Avoid.

[PFAS exposure during pregnancy: implications for placental health and functioning]. [in French]

Reviews/Meta-Analyses

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Environmental Mechanisms Influencing the Pathogenesis and Progression of Type 1 Diabetes.

Can xenobiotics contribute to the increase in the incidence of endocrine diseases by inducing autoimmune processes?

The hidden health effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. [The Year in Review]

Health Risk Assessment of Dietary Chemical Exposures: A Comprehensive Review.

Environmental endocrine disruptors and depression in adolescence: A missing link?

Emerging insights into the relationship between ERS and autophagy in toxic damage caused by endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Multigenerational impacts and health risk of environmental pollutants on fish caused by life-cycle exposure.

Rethinking the Microenvironment’s Role in Chemical-Induced Malignancy.

Phthalates

Urinary concentrations of di-butyl phthalate isomers and reproductive hormonal parameters in adult men: A systematic review with dose-response meta-analysis.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

A Review of the Potential Endocrine Bioactivity of 2-Ethylhexyl 4-Hydroxybenzoate (2-EHHB).

Triclosan in contaminated environment: A comprehensive review of source, distribution, toxic effects and removal technologies.

PFAS

Blood Exposure Profile of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Their Alternatives in Pregnant Women: Pathophysiological Concentrations, Interactions with Endogenous Biomolecules, and Associated Potential Health Risks.

Neurotoxicity and Potential Mechanisms of Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs).

Association between per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals and adult overweight, obesity and gestational weight gain: A scoping review.

Analysis and fate of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the global aquatic environment: perspectives and combined risks with microplastics.

Pesticides

Use of human data for risk assessment of pesticides: A review including an evaluation of trichlorfon as case study.

Specific effects on the reproductive function including fertility relevant for cumulative risk assessment of pesticide residues. [EFSA]

Metals/Metalloids

Association of Arsenic Exposure with Adverse Birth Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis and a benchmark dose analysis.

Fluoride-induced gut dysbiosis in metabolic disorders: Mechanisms and public health implications.

The Effects of Lead, Cadmium and Arsenic Exposure Alone or in Combination on Neurotoxicity Through Neural Signaling Pathways.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Plastic Pollution and Child Health: A Narrative Review of Micro- and Nanoplastics, Additives, and Developmental Risks.

The Threat of Micro-/Nanoplastics to Male Fertility: A Review of the Data and the Importance of Future Research.

From exposure to oncogenesis: a review on the multifaceted roles of microplastics in tumor initiation and progression.

From environment to brain: the role of microplastics in neurobehavioral disorders.

Tracing Microplastics in the Human Body: From Detection to Disease Mechanisms.

Microplastics as environmental modifiers of lung disease.

Polystyrene Nanoplastics in Human Gastrointestinal Models-Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Toxicity.

The dark matter in water, air and land: from microplastic to invisible nanoplastics.

Microplastics in focus: a silent disruptor of liver health- a systematic review.

Microplastics in the Food System: Should We Worry?

Ecotoxicology of microplastics in water ecosystems and aquatic organisms: A review of synergistic and antagonistic effects of microplastics on other xenobiotics.

Degradation mechanisms and microbial remediation of micro- and nanoplastics: A comprehensive review.

Miscellaneous

Tire crumb in the environment: a review on occurrence, fate and recent advances in detection and analysis.

Human Health Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Plasticisers chemical mixture, vitamin status, and mortality in US adults: a prospective population-based cohort

Association of co-exposure to EDCs in early pregnancy with threatened abortion: The mediation effect of progesterone.

A village-level cluster randomized controlled implementation trial to measure the effectiveness of a behavioral intervention aiming to reduce women’s exposures to household plastic waste burning in rural Guatemala: study protocol for the Ecolectivos trial.

Ethylparaben and consumer chemicals and their associations with metabolic disorders: A multicycle analysis of Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2015-2020). [BPA, phthalates, parabens]

Identification and human risk assessment of key active chemicals released from plastic food packaging: integrating lipidomics and suspect screening.

Bisphenols/Phenols

Prenatal phenol exposure and child behaviour: insights into the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis from two prospective mother-child cohorts.

Phthalates

Effects of Phthalate Exposure on Oral Microbiome Diversity and Enrichment of Gemella and Streptococcus.

Maternal immune-inflammatory markers mediate the association between urinary phthalate metabolites and preeclampsia.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Preliminary insights into methylation patterns in Agent Orange exposed thyroid cancers: a pilot study.

PFAS

Correlation of Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) Exposure with Testosterone Levels in the Male Population.

Environmental exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and childhood congenital heart disease: a mixed analysis.

Perfluoroalkyl substance levels are associated with filter type and nutritional status in hemodialysis patients.

Does the timing of sample collection confound the association between prenatal serum PFAS concentrations and birthweight: results from two prospective cohort studies.

Water consumption contributes to maternal PFAS exposure: From source to metabolic perturbations.

Sex-Specific associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and spinal posture in Children: The mediating role of bile acid metabolism.

Serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in relation to circulating thyroxine levels and thyroid cancer risk: results from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial cohort.

Age-specific associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure and osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study.

Pesticides

Associations of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) concentrations with birth outcomes in pregnant women from the Midwestern U.S.

The pesticide chlorpyrifos increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease. [human and lab study]

Couples exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides and its influence on in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes.

Metals/Metalloids

Arsenic exposure, arsenic metabolism, and plasma lipidome in relation to type 2 diabetes and glycemic traits: a lipidome-wide association study.

Sex-specific effects of prenatal exposure to arsenic on hyperactive behavior in offspring: Findings from the birth cohort to experimental study in Wuxi China.

Stage- and sex-specific associations of prenatal individual and mixed metals exposure with adiposity peak and adiposity rebound among children: a prospective birth cohort study.

Association of metal and metalloid exposure with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome: mediation by inflammation, oxidative stress, and aging.

Cobalt Mediates Stage-Specific Toxicity of Metal Mixtures in Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

A mixture analysis of urinary microplastic levels and risk of gestational diabetes.

Air Pollution

Burden of disease attributable to PM_2.5 at low exposure levels: impact of methodological choices.

Laboratory Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Computational profiling of toxic mixtures associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus development: identification of key protective agents.

Evaluating the chemical safety of bio-based and biodegradable food packaging materials through non-targeted LC-HRMS analysis and in vitro bioassays.

Subchronic co-exposure to dibutyl phthalate and benzo(a)pyrene exacerbates renal inflammation and fibrosis in rat: Crosstalk between tubular epithelial cells and fibroblasts.

Bisphenols/Phenols

Network toxicology and multiomics reveal bisphenol A-mediated immune evasion in breast cancer.

Multomics decipher the mechanisms of bisphenol S-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in Pseudobagrus ussuriensis.

Transcriptomic profiling of diabetic retinopathy: insights into RPL11 and bisphenol A.

Protective mechanisms of zinc and/or selenium supplementation against BPA-induced male and offspring reproductive toxicity: Insights from multiomics analysis.

Mechanistic exploration of bisphenol A in primary Sjögren’s syndrome using network toxicology, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and experimental validation.

Thymoquinone Reduces Bisphenol A-Induced Increases in Apoptosis and Oxidative Toxicity Through the Modulation of TRPM2 Channel Signaling Pathways in Human Granulosa Cells.

Bisphenol A exacerbates osteoblast ferroptosis via the p53/SLC7A11 axis: A novel mechanistic insight into environmental osteoporosis pathogenesis.

Alleviation of neurotoxicity induced by BPA in Caenorhabditis elegans by polyphenols from Blumea laciniata and their application in yogurt

Bisphenol P induces ovarian dysfunction by directly targeting PTGS2 and disrupting steroid hormone synthesis.

Investigating the mechanism by which nonylphenol disrupts human sperm motility via network toxicology.

Phthalates

Bis(2-ethylhexyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrabromophthalate Triggers IBD-like Pathology through the Gut Microbiota-Arachidonic Acid Axis: Protective Role of Akkermansia muciniphila.

Enzymatically Synthesized Poly(Gallic Acid) Modulates Methionine Synthase Activity and Neuroblastoma Morphology in Contrast to Phthalate-Type Endocrine Disruptors.

The Cellular Effects of Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate in Non-Malignant Colonic Epithelia Involve Oxidative Stress.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

In Vivo and In Silico Dissection of Triclosan-Induced Reproductive Toxicity: Protective Potentials of Nanoselenium and Phytotherapy.

PFAS

Bile acids insufficiency links perfluorooctane sulfonate-induced oxidative stress-mediated fatty liver with osteoarthritis.

Perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate promote osteoclastogenesis in vitro through the activation of hemichannels.

Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) induces oxidative stress and autophagy dysregulation in HGrC1 cells.

Prenatal perfluorooctanoic sulfonate exposure is associated with polycystic ovary syndrome-like and related traits in female offspring mice.

PFOS Disrupts Oocyte Maturation and Early Embryonic Development via Ovarian FOXK1 O-GlcNAcylation in Mice.

Evaluation of chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity of HFPO-DA in mice.

The environmental pollutant F-53B accelerates triple-negative breast cancer progression through metabolic reprogramming.

Decipher the Molecular Network of PFOA in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Through Integrating Machine Learning, Molecular Docking Strategies, and Validation in Vitro.

PFOA exposure decreases acrosome reaction and increases DNA oxidative damage by impairing the sperm head shaping in mice.

Flame Retardants

The effect of maternal exposure to Tris(n-butyl) phosphate on the gut microbiome of SD rats and offspring.

Neurotoxicological Effects of 4-Bromodiphenyl Ether in Adult Zebrafish: DNA Damage, Oxidative Stress, Histology and Biomolecular Alterations.

Pesticides

Adaptive Transgenerational Effects Offset the Increased Toxicity of the Pesticide Chlorpyrifos under Heat Stress.

New insights into Lambda-cyhalothrin-induced lipid metabolism disorder in liver: crosstalk between oxidative stress and PPARα signaling pathway.

Computational toxicology Insights into pyriproxyfen and its transformation products: An overlooked driver of aquatic toxicity and endocrine disruption.

Advanced integrated human in vitro approach to explore gut-brain barrier interactions with gut microbiota metabolites and pesticides.

Omega-3 fatty acids modulate acetamiprid and emamectin benzoate-induced testicular toxicity in rats by modulating Nrf2/NFkB pathway and apoptotic signaling.

Metals/Metalloids

Differential effects of gestational arsenic exposure on the liver and kidney of rat offspring across postnatal development.

Subchronic Arsenite Exposure Accelerated Skeletal Muscle Aging With Abnormal Corticosterone Secretion in Middle-Aged Mice.

The p -JNK^{Thr183/Tyr185} / p -Keap1^Thr43 /Keap1 axis mediates arsenic-induced endothelial dysfunction by coordinating Chaperone-mediated autophagy with macroautophagy.

Resveratrol Prevents Arsenic-Induced Depression-like Phenotypes via Modulation of BDNF Signaling.

Protective role of dietary fiber against lead-induced cellular and renal toxicity in a diabetic mouse model: Implications for environmental health and safety.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Food packaging characterization, composition profiles and in vitro testing of micro(bio)plastics from selected petroleum- and plant-based food containers.

Food-borne polystyrene microplastic exposure exacerbates cognitive deficiency via enhanced neuronal synaptic damage and neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease.

Microplastics’ Impact on the Development of AOM/DSS-Induced Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer in Mice.

Microplastics and bisphenol A exposure induce hepatopancreatic damage and lipid metabolism disorders in Portunus trituberculatus.

Co-exposure to Hexavalent Chromium and Polyamide Microplastics Alters Growth, Hematology, Histopathology of Tissues and Immune Genes Expression in Striped Catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus).

Combined toxicity of nanoplastics and sodium fluoride to zebrafish liver: Impact on gut-liver axis homeostasis and lipid metabolism.

Polystyrene microplastics cross the murine intestine and induce inflammatory cell death after phagocytosis by human monocytes and neutrophils.

Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized From Aloe vera Extract Have Lower Toxicity Than Chemically Synthesized Forms on Hepatic, Renal, Oxidative/Antioxidative Profiles, and Histopathological Damage in Male Mice.

Air Pollution

Filtered diesel exhaust via whole body exposure disrupts male reproductive function through dysregulated endocrine axis and subdued testicular GSTs in juvenile Wistar rats.

Ultrafine particulate matter exposure induces gut microbiota dysbiosis together with ER stress in the liver and worsened atherosclerosis.

Miscellaneous

Metabolic disruption in salmonids following co-exposure to road runoff contaminants 6PPD-Quinone and 9,10-anthraquinone.

Taurine Protects Against Melamine-Induced Hippocampal Neurotoxicity in Rats by Attenuating Metabolic Responses, Autophagy and Inflammation.

Exposure/Environment Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Legacy and emerging plasticizer profiles in kindergarten classrooms: innovative source identification and exposure assessment.

Could the Risk of Chronic Degenerative Valve Disease (CDVD) in Dogs Depend on Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Polluting the Environment?

Investigating Sexual Characteristics in Two Frog Species Under Exposure to River Water Polluted with Endocrine Disruptors.

Health risk assessment of emerging organic contaminants from land-applied biosolids: A comparative study between the U.S. and China.

Quantification of phthalates, non-phthalate plasticizers, and organophosphates in recycled plastic pellets.

Bisphenols

Bisphenol exposure in preterm neonates: a cohort study with measurements at admission and discharge in a neonatal intensive care unit in Ankara, Türkiye.

PFAS

Sociodemographic predictors of PFAS exposure among a combined sample of U.S. pregnant women: an Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) public-use dataset analysis.

Trifluoroacetic Acid Concentrations in Consumer Foods.

Assessment of PFAS pollution in fish and water from the United Kingdom and Spain and implications for human exposure.

Occurrence and Dietary Exposure of PFAS in Singapore: Insights from a Total Diet Study.

Flame Retardants

Flame retardant biomarker changes with furniture replacement after flammability standard update

Frequent Takeout Intake: A Possible Association with Elevated Levels of Organophosphate Esters in Human Serum.

Not so pristine: airborne benzothiazoles and organophosphate flame retardants in an alpine site under anthropogenic stress.

Pesticides

Risk-based mapping of pesticide usage and social vulnerability in the contiguous United States.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Microplastics and Intimate Toys: A Concerning Trend?

Microplastic in milk and dairy products: Research quality, abundance, sources, and transfer mechanisms.

The Hidden Crisis of Biodegradable Plastics: Polylactic Acid Microplastics Increase Soil Cd and Pb Bioavailability and Associated Human Health Risks.

Air Pollution

Emissions from burned structures in wildfires as significant yet unaccounted sources of US air pollution.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

High Accumulation and Potential Health Risks of Organic Ultraviolet Absorbents in Humpback Dolphins from the South China Sea.

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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.