EDC Science Weekly, Dec. 5-11, 2025

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:December 11, 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:

Report on the State of the Science to Address Endocrine Disrupters Under the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling [OECD]
Safe-and-sustainable-by-design approach to polyesters from non-oestrogenic bisphenols and related commentary, non-oestrogenic bisphenols based on lignocellulosics
Restoring Trust in Public Health by Preventing Financial Conflicts of Interest in the Scientific Literature and Government Decision-Making.
The importance of endocrine disruptors: an environmental prevention approach and La importancia de los disruptores endocrinos: enfoque desde la prevención ambiental
PFAS-contaminated drinking water harms infants.

Congratulations to Dr. Shuo Xiao, winner of the 2025 HEEDS Lou Guillette Jr Outstanding Young Investigator Award!

Science summaries and highlights

Events

Dec. 11 webinar (today!): Corporate Influence on science in a shifting political landscape [PRHE, UCS, CHE]

Dec. 15 (new) application due date for Reach the Decisionmakers [UCSF]

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. 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.

Regulations/Policy

Report on the State of the Science to Address Endocrine Disrupters Under the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling [OECD]

Restoring Trust in Public Health by Preventing Financial Conflicts of Interest in the Scientific Literature and Government Decision-Making.

REACHing for PFAS solutions: how two communities responded to drinking water contamination.

As the “Wheels Come Off”, Including Tire Emissions in the Plastics Treaty Would Show Drive.

A regulatory perspective on the applicability of NAMs in genotoxicity and carcinogenicity assessment in EU: current practices and future directions.

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

Methods/Tools/Screening

The ENDOMIX project: an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how real-life chemical mixtures target the immune system to trigger disease.

IUTOX 2023: Addressing complex toxicological endpoints with new approach methodologies [special issue]

Integrating environmental risk factors into pediatric cancer care: Laying the groundwork for improved outcomes and primary prevention.

Current approaches to the interpretation of bioactivity data from a neural network formation assay to inform developmental neurotoxicity potential of chemical exposure

Hypothesis-driven approach to developmental toxicity assessment: using mechanistic information to inform testing.

Current approaches to the interpretation of bioactivity data from a neural network formation assay to inform developmental neurotoxicity potential of chemical exposure.

Characterising a HepaRG liver microphysiological system for individual bile acid secretion and chemical induced disruptions.

Navigating the AI Frontier in Toxicology: Trends, Trust, and Transformation.

Commentaries

Safe-and-sustainable-by-design approach to polyesters from non-oestrogenic bisphenols and related commentary, non-oestrogenic bisphenols based on lignocellulosics

The importance of endocrine disruptors: an environmental prevention approach and La importancia de los disruptores endocrinos: enfoque desde la prevención ambiental [includes fact sheets in English and Spanish]

Reviews/Meta-Analyses

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Impact of the environment on childhood cancer clinical outcomes.

Environmental pollutants as emerging risk factors in osteoarthritis: Mechanistic and epidemiological evidence.

The nexus of environmental endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: An emerging public health challenge.

Toxicological impacts and mitigation strategies of food contaminants: a global perspective and comprehensive narrative review.

A review of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the packaged fruits, vegetables and cereals and their products; occurrence, risk assessment and estrogenicity.

Systematic review and synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM) reveals lack of clinical studies and weak preclinical evidence for interaction between glucose regulating drugs and environmental contaminant exposure.

Quantitative analysis and toxicological mechanisms of various male infertility inducers: A network meta-analysis and pharmacological approach.

Systematic literature review and meta-analysis on the reproductive effects of micro- pollutants in humans and animals.

Beyond Infections: The Growing Crisis of Chronic Disease in Animals

A systematic review of exposure to endocrine disruptors and energy expenditure in mice.

Bisphenols

Endocrine disruption rewards: bisphenol-A-induced reproductive toxicity and the precision ameliorative potential of flavonoids in preclinical studies. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PFAS

Persistent pollutants and the developing brain: the role of PFAS in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Pesticides

Effect of pesticides on breast cancer tumor.

Exposure to 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid affects physiological and behavioral parameters in zebrafish (Danio rerio): A systematic review and Meta-Analysis.

Metals/Metalloids

Impact of long-term exposure to arsenic on cardiovascular health – brief narrative review.

Lead exposure is associated with increased lead bioaccumulation and a decline in semen quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Micro- and Nanoplastics in Human Male Reproduction: Immune Disruption, Blood-Testis Barrier, and Clinic-Ready Biomarkers.

Potential effects of plastic waste: microplastics, a global concern.

Health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics: key influencing factors, limitations, and future perspectives.

Microplastics hack the water supply system: What it means for water safety and human health?

Advances in microplastic mitigation: current progress and future directions.

Unveiling the hidden impacts: A comprehensive review of microplastic effects on marine bivalves.

Air Pollution

Molecular mechanisms of air pollution-induced carcinogenesis and the emerging role of microplastics.

Associations between exposure to air pollution and obesity and related anthropometric measurements in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Human Health Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Associations of Exposure to Typical Environmental Organic Pollutants with Cardiopulmonary Health and the Mediating Role of Oxidative Stress: A Randomized Crossover Study.

Racial and ethnic disparities in environmental chemical exposures and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: The ECHO-wide cohort study.

Associations between exposure to environmental pollutants, metabolic syndrome risk, and obesity-related anthropometric indices.

Placental angiogenic biomarkers in relation to prenatal bisphenol and phthalate exposure.

Detection of Endocrine Disruptors in Human Placenta: A Pilot Study on Exposure and Histopathological Findings.

Assessment of Early Kidney Function Biomarkers and Environmental Exposure to Contaminant Mixtures in Mexican Brick-Making Workers Under Precarious Labor Conditions.

Bisphenols

Bisphenol exposure during pregnancy and serum total bile acid levels across trimesters: single and combined effects in pregnant women from Guangxi Zhuang, China.

Phthalates

Association of phthalate and substitute exposure with gestational liver function: A longitudinal cohort study.

Relationship between urinary phthalate metabolites and liver function indicators in the elderly in Northeast China.

Hormonal Changes in Professional Printers Exposed to Phthalates Suggesting Potential Disturbances of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis.

Neuroprogramming of prenatal phthalate exposures on fluid cognition: A latent variable modeling approach to quantify exposure burden and integrate neurobehavioral data.

Association between urinary DINCH concentration and rheumatoid arthritis: A cross-sectional study.

Occupational exposure to phthalate esters and systemic clinical changes in municipal sanitation workers: Human Biomonitoring and Network Analysis approach.

Multimodal mechanisms of di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate-induced cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome: Integrating epidemiology, network toxicology and experimental validation.

Associations of phthalate mixture with humans innate and adaptive immune cell profiles and the modification and mediation of short-chain fatty acids.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Persistent Organic Pollutants and Heart Rate Variability: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study in China.

PFAS

PFAS Exposure and Endocrine Disruption Among Women.

PFAS-contaminated drinking water harms infants.

Associations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and alternatives with thyroid hormones in pregnant women: A cross-sectional study in China.

Prenatal Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Maternal Thyroid Function during Pregnancy in a Cohort with High Familial Likelihood of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Plasma per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and cardiometabolic risk factors in an elderly Spanish population at high cardiovascular risk.

Flame Retardants

Prenatal Organophosphate Esters Exposure Impacts Placental Structure and Inflammatory Markers in a Trimester-Specific Manner.

Pesticides

Association of glyphosate exposure with kidney function impairment in the adolescents and young adults’ population in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013 to 2016.

Male partner pesticide residue exposure from fruit and vegetable intake in relation to outcomes of infertility treatment: a prospective cohort study.

Prenatal exposure to agricultural pesticide applications and gestational diabetes mellitus in the Az-PEARS population-based study (2014-2020).

Metals/Metalloids

Heavy metal mixtures exposure and breast cancer risk: synergistic effects with SHBG identified by mediation and moderation models.

Prenatal exposure to mixtures of metals and metalloids and risk of spontaneous preterm birth: Critical exposure windows and susceptibility factors.

Prenatal individual and mixed exposure to metals and trace elements and preschoolers’ internalizing and externalizing symptoms: A prospective birth cohort study.

Childhood fluoride exposure and cognition across the life course

Maternal Prenatal Mercury Exposure from Rice and Its Association with Newborn Neurobehavioral Development.

Ghrelin-disrupting activity of arsenic and its relation to cardiometabolic diseases.

Neurobehavioral Effects of Mercury, Lead, and Selenium Co-Exposure in the Brazilian Amazon: Insights from Bayesian Mixture Modeling and SELENOP Genetic Variation.

Air Pollution

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and epigenetic age acceleration in children.

Air pollution and breast cancer incidence in a United States-wide prospective cohort study: Examining sensitive periods of exposure.

Overweight Modified the Associations between Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter and Its Constituent and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Rural China.

Laboratory Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Integrated multi-Omics and network toxicology elucidate the multi-target mechanisms of environmental hormones in driving hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cadmium and glyphosate jointly compromise sperm function, fertilization, and early development in Prochilodus magdalenae.

Bisphenols

The PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway mediates epithelial mesenchymal transition and cytoskeletal architecture changes induce to renal fibrosis after Bisphenol S exposure.

Bisphenol A-Induced Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction: Protective Effects of Nigella sativa Oil and Thymoquinone.

Therapeutic potential of hydroxytyrosol against bisphenol S-induced toxicity to microglia via targeting cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1).

The effect of bisphenol PH and seven other bisphenol A alternatives on human haemostasis in vitro.

Bisphenol A disrupts cartilage homeostasis through CYP2C19.

Is Reproductive Toxicity of Bisphenols an Adverse Outcome from Insulin Homeostasis Disruption in Fish?

Ginsenoside Rg1 alleviated testicular and sperm damage in rats exposed to bisphenol A.

Phthalates

Maternal exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate raises the risk of congenital heart disease in mice offspring – An Important finding Influencing Public Health Policy.

Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate induces cholestasis liver injury in mice associated with promoting macrophage polarization through NRF2 signaling pathway.

Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate Induces Placental Cellular Apoptosis via the PI3K/Akt-p53 Pathway and Functional Disruption via a ceRNA Network.

Mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate activates JNK signaling via TLR4-MD2 binding to induce podocyte injury in chronic kidney disease.

Ameliorative Potential of Vitamin E and Selenium Against Di-2-Ethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP)-Induced Toxicity in Adult Female Mice.

Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) Induces Cervical Injury and Promotes Malignant Transformation of Cervical Epithelial Cells.

DEHP induces hepatic fibrosis through STAT3-SLC7A11-ROS axis.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

A combined study of network-based prediction and in vitro experimental validation on the procarcinogenic mechanism of propylparaben in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells.

Mechanism of liver fibrosis induced by life-long triclosan exposure in offspring rats: an adverse outcome pathway framework validated by in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

A whale in a well: Co-exposure of a persistent organic pollutant mixture and cetacean morbillivirus on killer whale (Orcinus orca) primary fibroblasts.

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation Mediates Acute Lethality and Developmental Toxicity of Polychlorinated Diphenyl Ethers in Vertebrates: Mechanistic Insights and Implications for Toxicity Equivalency Factor Frameworks.

3,3′-Dichlorobiphenyl (PCB 11) alters the hepatic expression of cytochrome P450 enzymes in the liver of mouse dams exposed orally during pregnancy and lactation.

PFAS

Estrogenic Activity of Structurally Distinct PFASs Through Estrogen Receptor Pathway.

Impact of PFOS on maternal and placental lipid metabolism and decreased placental vascularization in a murine model.

Perfluorooctanoic acid disrupts hepatic metabolism in the developing chicken embryo.

Chronic effects of the PFAS precursor 6:2 FTS on Xenopus laevis tadpole growth and development.

Impact of Redox Imbalance and Mitochondrial Dysfunction on Neurotoxicity Induced by Perfluorooctanoic Acid in Male Wistar Albino Rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Multi-endpoint evaluation of PFOA toxicity in Danio rerio: Oxidative, genotoxic, and metabolomic responses.

First insight into in vivo and in vitro biotransformation of 6:2 fluorotelomer carboxylic acid (6:2 FTCA) in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Decoding PFAS immunotoxicity: a NAMs-based comparison of short vs. long chains.

Toxicological and metabolic responses of Chironomus tepperi larvae to acute and chronic PFOS exposure.

Exposure to a PFAS mixture alters cholesterol lipoprotein subfractions and induces a foam cell-like aortic macrophage expression profile in hyperlipidemic LDLr^-/- mice.

Unveiling the ESR1 dysfunction orchestrates the link per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure to osteoarthritis: Insights from multi-scale evidence.

Flame Retardants

Toxicity of tetrachlorobisphenol A interfering with craniofacial cartilage development by inhibiting RXR activity in zebrafish.

Organotins

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists prevent tributyltin-induced muscle atrophy/wasting via restoring GLP-1R signaling in vitro and in mice.

Pesticides

Subchronic exposure to the neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin disrupts gut microbiota composition in rats.

Subchronic hepatorenal toxicity induced by low-dose neonicotinoid pesticide imidaclothiz exposure in mice.

The Role of FOXO1/PPARγ in Atrazine-induced Hepatic Lipid Metabolism Disorders.

Crosstalk regulation between gut microbiota and DNA methylation: Sex-specific effects of intestinal metabolic activities induced by prothioconazole and prothioconazole-desthio in zebrafish.

An Experimental Approach to Comparative Analysis of Toxic Impacts of Three Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals-Atrazine, Benzo (A) Pyrene, and Carbendazim-in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio).

Developmental and multi-organ toxicity of fludioxonil in zebrafish through apoptosis, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Single-cell transcriptomics unveils atrazine’s impact on neurons and microglia in C57BL/6 mice.

Herbicide 2,4-D induces oxidative stress-independent genotoxicity and hepatic alterations in Dendropsophus minutus tadpoles.

Sub-lethal neonicotinoid exposure impairs homing ability in honey bee (Apis mellifera) foragers via the disruption of energy metabolism and endocrine regulation rather than cognitive ability.

The Individual and Combined Effects of Warming and Atrazine on Lithobates pipiens Phenotypes: Implications for Frog Declines.

Metals/Metalloids

Quercetin Modulates Gut Microbiome and Immune Response to Mitigate Arsenic-Induced Toxicity: Insights From a Microbiome-Immune Study.

Chronic Arsenic Exposure Induces Neuroinflammation by Regulating the Nrf2/NLRP3 Inflammasome Signaling Pathway.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Silver and polystyrene nanoparticles activate oestrogen signalling via cytoplasmic oestrogen receptor.

Microplastic pollution in eggs impairs chick development by disrupting yolk sac function and intestinal homeostasis.

Polystyrene nanoplastics disrupt epididymal initial segment by perturbing NK cell differentiation and epithelial homeostasis.

Polystyrene Microplastics Disrupt Skeletal Development in Marine Medaka Oryzias melastigma.

Polystyrene nanoplastics induce ovarian granulosa cell senescence via autophagy suppression.

Polystyrene microplastics exacerbate experimental chronic kidney disease via inflammatory and oxidative pathways involving NF-κB, ERK/p38 MAPK, and sirtuin-1.

Effects of polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics on bioaccumulation and toxicity of dibutyl phthalate in Mytilisepta virgata.

Potential risk of aromatic microplastic fragments during urinary excretion.

Micro and nanoplastic inhalation during pregnancy elicits uterine endothelial dysfunction in Sprague Dawley rats by impeding nitric oxide signaling.

Prepuberty Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induces Cardiac Inflammation Through Calcium Overload-Mediated ROS/JAK1/STAT3 Signaling Cascade.

Miscellaneous

Human cardiac organoids highlight cardiotoxicity of the tire rubber antioxidant 6PPD.

Biphasic inhibition of human and rat steroid 5α-reductase 1 for Neurosteroid synthesis by mid-chain Dialkyldimethylammonium compounds (C8-C14): Kinetic, SPR binding, computational insights, and implications for environmental toxicology.

Exposure/Environment Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Occurrence and characteristics of bisphenols, triclosan, and their conjugated metabolites in human urine.

Bisphenols

Prevalence, migration and exposure assessment of bisphenol compounds in pre-cooked foods.

Phthalates

Determination of phthalic acid esters and di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate in tissues from stranded dolphins in the Canary Islands.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Lipid oxidation and metabolism in relation to contaminants in polar bears from the Canadian High Arctic and Hudson Bay.

PFAS

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food and exposure assessment of the Swedish population.

Atmospheric concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in Michigan’s ambient air using passive sampling

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

Non-destructive surface sampling of PFAS exposure on firefighter protective gears: Potential implications for occupational exposure.

Where is PFAS risk to groundwater highest in South Africa?

Spatiotemporal distribution, source apportionment, and driving factors of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the river-to-sea systems of China Between 2004 and 2024.

Pesticides

Pesticides and habitat loss additively reduce wild bees in crop fields.

Metals/Metalloids

Prenatal metal exposures in urban and suburban New York, and a scoping review to compare metal concentrations in meconium across studies.

Seasonal and dietary determinants of metal and metalloid exposure in riverine communities of the Brazilian Amazon: A study on temporal variation.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Exposure to microplastics from food: Comparative analysis of food types and quantification techniques.

Microplastics bound to fine particulate matter in subway air: A pathway for toxic metal transport to enhanced carcinogenicity in human lungs.

Modelling microplastic fibre emissions from synthetic textiles: An Australian case.

Air Pollution

Clearing the air: Which pollution source matters most for health?

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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.