EDC Science Weekly, Feb. 27 – Mar. 5, 2026

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:March 5, 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:

“Who the hell is upstream pushing them all in?” Reclaiming public health’s defining metaphor to counter the commercial determinants of health.
Risk Assessment of Endocrine Disruptors: Does Unresolved Uncertainties Require Extra Precaution?
Role of antioxidant vitamins in mitigating the health risks from environmental toxicant exposures.

Science summaries and highlights

Events

Mar. 5 (today!) webinar: Chemical Recycling of Plastics: Health concerns & technological limits [CHE]

Mar. 11 webinar: Early Life PFAS Exposure and Child Health: Evidence from the NIH ECHO Cohort [ECHO]

Mar. 12 webinar: How to get plastic out of student meals [Beyond Plastics]

Mar. 16 film released on Netflix: The Plastic Detox

Mar. 19 webinar: Preparation of the Global Framework on Chemicals – First International Conference Report on Existing Emerging Policy Issues (EPIs) and other Issues of Concern (IOCs) [Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC)]

Apr. 2 webinar: Plastics, Chemicals, and Fertility with Dr. Shanna Swan re The Plastic Detox film [EDC Strategies Partnership]

May 6: ECHO Symposium: Translating Science to Action (hybrid) [NIH]

Summer 2026: Registration is open for the Skills for Health and Research Professionals (SHARP) Training program [Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health]. Scholarship deadline is March 20.

June 10: TSCA Reform: 10 years later (hybrid) [Environmental Law Institute]

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.

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

Regulations/Policy

Risk Assessment of Endocrine Disruptors: Does Unresolved Uncertainties Require Extra Precaution?

Aggregate Consumer Exposure and Risk Assessment in the EU-A Case Study.

Towards an Enhanced Role for Human Biomonitoring in REACH Regulation: Current Landscape and Future Prospects.

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

Methods/Tools/Screening

CVD Environmental Health Disparities Tool: systematic evidence mapping of psychosocial stressors, environmental exposures, and cardiovascular diseases to inform disparities research and action.

Development of the toxicity values database, ToxValDB: A curated resource for experimental and derived human health-relevant toxicity data.

PDG_DB: A comprehensive database unveils environmental distribution patterns of plastic-degrading genes via large-scale multi-omic data analysis.

Strategies to facilitate the report-back of research results: a systematic review of methods and evaluations.

The zebrafish Visual and Acoustic Motor Response (VAMR) assay has the potential to add value to the Developmental Neurotoxicity In Vitro Battery (DNT IVB).

Commentaries

I will continue the fight for environmental justice in Black communities.

“Who the hell is upstream pushing them all in?” Reclaiming public health’s defining metaphor to counter the commercial determinants of health.

Reducing pediatric healthcare plastic pollution: Call to action.

Are plastics, once our future, headed for the past?

Curbing health harms from microplastics.

Microplastics: do they harm human health?

Microplastics and Nanoplastics: A New Perspective in Cardiovascular Prevention.

Micro and Nanoplastics in orthodontics: should we be concerned?

Health effects linger 20 generations after rats are exposed to fungicide.

Reviews/Meta-Analyses

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Role of antioxidant vitamins in mitigating the health risks from environmental toxicant exposures: a narrative review.

Spatial Patterns of Breast Cancer Risk Associated with Industrial and Environmental Pollutants: A Scoping Review.

Environmental endocrine disruptors and endometrial cancer: a systematic review of epidemiological studies.

Sex-dependent neurotoxicity of environmental toxicants: a narrative review.

Environmental Pollution and Its Impact on Kidney Diseases: A Comprehensive Review of Current Evidence.

Impact of prenatal micro/nanoplastics exposure on intrauterine development and growth: a systematic review.

Animals as Sentinels of Environmental Toxicity in Italy: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological and Ecotoxicological Linkages under a One Health Framework.

Phthalates

From Exposure to Atherosclerosis: Mechanistic Insights into Phthalate-Driven Ischemic Heart Disease and Prevention Strategies.

Phthalate Esters in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Multiscale Threat from Molecular Disruption to Ecological Risks.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Exploring the Impact of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) on the Development of MASLD: A Comprehensive Review.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Oxidative Stress, and Brain Health: Mechanistic Links to Neurodegenerative and Neurodevelopmental Diseases

PFAS

The Placenta as a Target Organ for Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs): Molecular Mechanisms of Toxicity.

Associations of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances with markers of glycaemic control, insulin secretion and sensitivity, and diabetes risk: a systematic review and meta-analyses.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: A novel risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Flame Retardants

Critical review and implications of the results of the National Toxicology Program’s carcinogenicity study of tris(chloropropyl)phosphate.

Pesticides

Construction of an Adverse Outcome Pathway Framework for Glyphosate-Induced Female Reproductive Toxicity Based on Toxicity Pathways.

Metals/Metalloids

Mercury-induced excitotoxicity in autism spectrum disorder: disruption of glutamatergic homeostasis and the therapeutic role of the selenium-glutathione axis.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics in humans: systematic review of in vivo evidence.

Micro- and nanoplastics in neurological dysfunction.

Nuclear and Mitochondrial Epigenetic Mechanisms Underlying Neurodegeneration and Gut-Brain Axis Dysregulation Induced by Micro- and Nanoplastics.

Microplastics induce mitochondrial dysfunction and accelerate cardiovascular pathogenesis.

Emerging cardiovascular risks of micro- and nanoplastics: toxic effects and mechanistic pathways.

Metabolomics-Based Insights Into the Toxicological Effects and Mechanisms of Microplastics: A Comprehensive Review.

T he Environmental Pathways and Veterinary Health Implications of Microplastics and Nanoplastics: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Emerging Contaminants from a One Health Perspective.

Micro- and Nanoplastics and Human Health: Role of Food Nutrients Targeting Nfe2l2 Gene in Diabetes.

Microplastics and male reproductive system: A comprehensive review based on cellular and molecular effects.

What every dentist needs to know about microplastics and dental materials.

Dental microplastics as emerging neurotoxicants: a systematic review on human data.

Miscellaneous

A critical review of biodegradable polymers for food packaging: Enhancing functionality and environmental sustainability.

Human Health Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Association of PFAS, Metals, Phthalate and Organophosphate Metabolites with Depression Among U.S. Adults.

Association of blood levels of forever plastics with lung cancer mortality among ever smokers in the Prostate Lung Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) cohort study.

Bisphenols/Phthalates

Associations of prenatal exposure to bisphenols and phthalates with the fetoplacental ratio in the New York University Children’s Health and Environment Study (NYU CHES).

Bisphenol A Alternatives in Follicular Fluid: Novel Risk Factors for Ovarian Reserve Dysfunction.

Exposure to Phthalates and Alterations in Reproductive Hormones in Pregnant Women.

Phthalate Metabolites in Maternal Urine and Breast Milk After Very Preterm Birth: Matrix Concordance.

The impact of prenatal phthalate exposure on language development trajectories in siblings of children with Autism

Phthalates exposure and serum uric acid level in patients with Crohn’s disease: A cross-sectional study.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Organochlorine pesticides and obesity in a rural prediabetic population: exploring bidirectional pathways with metabolic indicators.

PFAS

A prospective study of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), stress, and birth size in a cohort of U.S. Black women.

Association between prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and pubertal development in boys and girls in the Spanish INMA cohort.

Histidine Metabolic Pathway Modifies the Relationships Between 6:2 Cl-PFESA Exposure and Preterm Birth.

Spatial analysis of residential location at birth, PFAS in public water, and childhood cancers in Southern California (2000-2019).

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and menstrual cycle characteristics in midlife women: the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation.

Metabolomic signatures of prenatal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure and subtypes of gestational diabetes mellitus: A prospective cohort study.

Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) mixtures increases papillary thyroid cancer risk and clinicopathological aggressiveness: Findings from a case-control study and risk assessment

Mortality of workers exposed to tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in a plant producing fluoropolymers in Italy, 1960-2024.

Exploring Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Exposure Risk in Indoor Air and PM_2.5: Correlations with Respiratory Health in University Environments.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) induces Caspase-8-mediated pyroptosis via GSDMD and GSDME to drive retinal disease: Evidence from epidemiological and experimental studies.

Flame Retardants

Urinary Organophosphate Esters and Increased Oxidative Stress in Healthy Older Adults: The China BAPE Study.

Association Between Organophosphate Flame Retardant Exposure and Trouble Sleeping: Integrating Epidemiological Evidence with Mechanistic Insights.

Plasma organophosphate ester exposure-associated microRNA expression profiles and their functional analysis in Chinese healthy adults.

Pesticides

Population-Level Amplicon and Metagenomic Analyses Uncover Distinct Effects of Landscape-Level Pesticides on the Maternal Gut Microbiome.

Antioxidant Battery Alterations in a Mexican Child Population Living near Pesticide use Intensive Areas.

Metals/Metalloids

Maternal and Newborn Factors Associated with Meconium Metal Concentrations: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Air Pollution

Matched Case-Control Study of Air Pollution and Infant Mortality in North Carolina.

Laboratory Studies

Bisphenols

Quantitative proteomic analysis reveals different characteristics of bladder cancer cells after exposure to bisphenol A.

Co-Exposure to Bisphenol A and a High-Fat Diet Induces Insulin Resistance via Suppression of Insulin Signaling Molecule Expression and GLUT4 Translocation.

Investigating the mechanisms by which bisphenol A affects osteoarthritis through a novel network toxicology framework and experimental validation

Bisphenol a and polycystic ovary syndrome in reproductive-age women: mechanistic exploration via network toxicology and molecular docking.

Mechanisms of Bisphenols-induced Cervical Cancer: A multidimensional bioinformatics analysis.

Bisphenol A induces IRE1-dominant endoplasmic reticulum stress, apoptosis, and functional impairment in BeWo trophoblast cells.

Phthalates

Dose-Dependent Hepatotoxicity of Diethyl Phthalate in Female Wistar Rats.

DEHP Exposure Affects Mitochondrial Function During Ovarian Follicle Development.

Paternal DEHP exposure impairs placental angiogenesis via inhibition of the zygotic Col1α1/Col1α2-Integrin α2β1 axis.

Diethyl phthalate-induced oxidative stress, genotoxicity, and thyroid hormone disruption in female Wistar rats.

DEHP exposure and cardiac fibrosis risk: An integrated network toxicology and molecular experimental investigation.

Exploring the Potential Mechanism of Polyethylene Terephthalate Associated Cardiotoxicity through Network Toxicology and Molecular Docking.

Exploring the phthalates-induced neurotoxicity mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases via network toxicology, single-cell transcriptomics and molecular dynamic simulation.

Integrated network toxicology and transcriptomics analysis reveals the pathogenic mechanisms in DBP/MBP-induced MASLD/MASH.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate promotes breast cancer progression: Multi-omics integrated experimental validation.

A potential risk of plastic and plasticizer pollution: a molecular toxicological study on DIDP-exacerbated autism-like behaviors in juvenile mice.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Melatonin safeguards against butylparaben-induced oxidative stress, DNA damage, microtubule instability, and organelle dysfunction during porcine oocyte maturation.

PFAS

A molecular and cellular understanding of PFDA-exposure-associated outcomes on biological assemblies.

Hexafluoropropylene oxide trimer acid (HFPO-TA) exposure predisposes to MASLD through reprogramming hepatic epigenome and transcriptome

Exposure to PFOA and GenX elicits cell typespecific impacts on p53 and TGF-β signaling pathways.

Isomer-specific binding affinity of perfluoroalkyl substances with red blood cells.

PFOS exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations promote papillary thyroid carcinoma progression through PI3K/AKT/mTOR-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Perfluorooctanoic acid induced liver injury and gender-specific bile acid metabolic disorders associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis in lizards (Eremias argus).

Gestational PFHxS exposure at environmentally relevant levels is associated with adult hepatic steatosis and PERK/SREBP1 pathway activation.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate induces joint inflammation to trigger osteoarthritis through the YAP1/IκBα signaling pathway.

Development and Human Extrapolation of Physiologically Based Toxicokinetic Models for Chlorinated Polyfluoroalkyl Ether Sulfonates from Rats.

Chronic PFOA and PFOS exposure triggers cellular oxidative stress and alters lipid levels as revealed through multi-omics analysis.

Flame Retardants

Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Alleviates Tris(1,3-Dichloro-2-Propyl) Phosphate-Induced Damage During Mouse Oocyte Maturation

Evaluation of Migration, Bioaccessibility, and Dietary Risk of Organophosphate Flame Retardants in Polypropylene Packaging Using a Packaging-Food-Digestion Simulation System

Integrated network toxicology suggests potential mechanisms involving environmental flame retardant TDCPP in ovarian cancer progression via “liver-to-ovary crosstalk.”

Organotins

Neurotoxic Effects of Acute Tributyltin Exposure in Adult Zebrafish: Behavioral Impairments and Mechanistic Insights.

miRNome profiling in Tritia mutabilis embryos exposed to tributyltin: insights into developmental toxicity.

Pesticides

Prenatal and postnatal atrazine-induced endocrine and ovarian chemical biotransformation protein disruption in offspring.

Induction of Cellular Senescence by Pesticide Exposure in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs): Impacts on Telomerase Length, Cellular Morphology, and mtDNA Variation.

Risk of chronic low-dose pesticide cocktail exposure: Increased inflammatory bowel disease susceptibility through microbiota-mediated immune dysregulation

Low doses of chlorothalonil cause testicular impairment in mammals through the antimicrobial-like mechanism

Melatonin as a Potential Dietary Supplement to Counteract Glyphosate-Induced Decline in Honeybee Populations.

Azoxystrobin induces progressive testicular damage in dose-dependent manners via disrupting androgen receptor and TGF-β signaling pathway: A biochemical, histological, and hormonal evidence.

Fipronil-based insecticide induces developmental toxicity and skeletal deformities in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Intergenerational neurotoxicity mediated by maternal plasma metabolite profile remodeling following maternal atrazine exposure.

Metals/Metalloids

Regulatory T Cells and IFNγ in Mercury-Induced Autoimmunity: Insights from Adoptive Transfer in B10.S Mice.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Microplastics and Nanoplastics Cause Thyroid Dysfunction in Adolescent Mice through the Intestinal Microbiota-Mediated Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis.

Effects of Short-Term Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics on the Nervous System: Calcium Homeostasis, BDNF and Synaptic Plasticity.

Size-Dependent Disruption of Lipid Metabolism by Polystyrene Micro- and Nanoplastics in Caenorhabditis elegans Revealed Through Multi-Omics and Functional Genetic Validation.

Polystyrene Nanoparticles Disrupt Oxidative Phosphorylation and Impair Placental Development in Mice.

Toxicological Effects and Potential Therapeutics of Chronic Exposure to Polyurethane Nanoplastics in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Perinatal exposure to polystyrene microplastics induces multigenerational impairment of male reproduction via disrupted steroidogenesis and proteostasis.

Oxidative and Inflammatory Damage by Environmental Polyethylene Microplastics in Caco-2 Cells Is Prevented by Polyphenol-Rich Limoncella Apple Extract.

Maternal Exposure to Microplastics and High-Fructose Diet Induces Offspring Hypertension via Disruption of H2S Signaling, Gut Microbiota, and Metabolic Networks.

Polystyrene nanoplastics promote adipogenesis by stimulating nuclear translocation of PPARγ.

Polystyrene nanoplastics trigger mitochondrial and metabolic reprogramming in cardiomyocytes: Evidence from integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis.

The synergistic effects of UV-328 and polystyrene microplastics on zebrafish embryos: developmental toxicity, oxidative stress, and neurotoxicity.

Polystyrene Nanoplastics induced placental toxicology by activating Keap1-mediated ferroptosis via METTL3-dependent m6A methylation.

Biological alterations of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics on Danio rerio at environmentally relevant concentrations – risk assessment.

Miscellaneous

Amentoflavone alleviates nonylphenol-induced testicular damage through regulating Nrf-2/Keap-1, steroidogenic, hormonal, and histological profile in albino rats.

Exposure/Environment Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Characterizing Prenatal Exposure to Contemporary and Emerging Chemicals in a Prospective Cohort of Pregnant Women in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dynamics of Endocrine Disruptor Exposure in Early Life: A Mother-Infant Hair Biomonitoring Study.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in wildlife of the central apennine mountains, Italy: Assessment of background contamination.

PFAS

Untargeted Metabolomics Profiling of a PFAS-Exposed Flemish Population.

Associations Between Seafood Consumption and Serum PFAS Levels Among Asian/Pacific Islanders in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.

High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Legacy and Emerging PFAS in Oilfield Environments: Occurrence, Source, and Toxicity Assessment.

Occurrence of PFAS in Cow’s Milk: A Comparative Study of Swedish Farms near Contaminated Sites and Regional Dairy Production Facilities.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Food Products by Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS): Single-Laboratory Validation, First Action: 2025.07.

Bio-concentration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and mercury in feathers of waterbirds from a key conservation reserve, Southwest China.

PFAS isomers in aquatic biota: revealing differences in occurrence, bioaccumulation, and biotransformation through isomer-specific analysis.

Exploring profiles of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a long-lived Arctic predator: The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus).

The differences in levels of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the hair of wild terrestrial mammals with various feeding behaviour.

Flame Retardants

Organophosphate Esters in Breast Milk from Beijing, China.

Organophosphate esters and their metabolites in paired maternal serum and human milk: Occurrence, transfer efficiency, and metabolic conversion.

Metals/Metalloids

A Three-Decade Overview of Cadmium and Lead in Placentas of Postpartum Women: A Review of Evidence from Croatia (1990s-2019).

Estimating daily intakes of toxic metals and essential elements from infant formula, gruel, porridge and ready-to-eat baby food.

Temporal trends (1937-2006) in concentrations of toxic elements in neotropical birds from southeastern Mexico.

Historical and elevational contamination by toxic metals and arsenic in hummingbirds in southeastern Mexico: a variable to consider in the face of the global pollinator crisis.

——-

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

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.