EDC Science Weekly, July 24-30, 2026

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:July 30, 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

Events

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

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

Sept. 30: Due date for applications for the HEEDS Lou Guillette Jr. Outstanding Young Investigator Award.

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

Regulations/Policy

Preventing regrettable substitutions: a proposal for a tiered testing approach for BPA alternatives under the PARC initiative.

Monitoring limitations and challenges in implementation of drinking water PFAS standards in US public water systems.

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

Methods/Tools/Screening

Modelling the Regulatory Toxicology System to Promote the Effective Use of New Approach Methodologies: A System Thinking Approach

Automated extraction of toxicological mechanism of action from PubMed literature using Large Language Models.

Integrated in vitro/in silico test battery for the prediction of chemical-induced cholestatic liver toxicity.

Understanding Challenges and Opportunities for the Transition Beyond Animal Experimentation in Research and Safety Testing: What’s New? What’s Next?

Advances in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Toxicity Prediction in Computational Toxicology: A Comprehensive Review.

Commentaries

Editorial: From North to South: a global perspective on the impact of endocrine disruptors on reproductive development and function. [intro to a research topic in Frontiers in Toxicology]

Special Issue: Toxicity of Metals, Metal-Based Drugs, and Microplastics. [in Int J Mol Sci.]

Retraction of the landmark glyphosate safety publication by Williams, Kroes and Munro (2000) should be reversed.

Forever chemicals, the microbiome, and brain health: towards therapeutics.

No clear evidence of PFAS-induced immunomodulation in SARS-CoV-2-specific human T cell responses following vaccination. [letter]

How to Help Microbes Save Us from PFAS.

Metals Found in Tampons Within Margin of Safety, FDA Study Finds

Reviews/Meta-Analyses

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Environmental virotoxicology: how pollutant exposure modulates viral infections – a systematic review of wildlife-associated evidence.

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Their Effects on Mosquito Vectors of Infectious Diseases: A Narrative Review.

Association between exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review.

Updated Understanding of Endocrine-Disrupting Substances Involved in the Obesity Epidemic and Their Associated Etiopathogenetic Mechanisms.

Systematic review of emerging environmental contaminants: sources, environmental fate, and impacts.

Neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s Disease: The Role of Environmental Toxins

Environmental pollutants and the rising burden of inflammatory bowel disease in East Asia: a narrative review

Phthalates

Platelet Storage Quality, Plasticizer Migration, and Transfusion Exposure Risk in DEHP Versus Non-DEHP Blood Storage Systems: A Mechanistic and Quantitative Comparative Analysis

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Investigating Short-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCPs) in China: A Review of Occurrences, Determination Techniques, Human Exposure Routes, Toxicity, and Risk Assessments.

PFAS

PFAS Exposure and Metabolic Disorders: Mechanistic Insights into Lipid and Glucose Homeostasis.

A Review on Environmental Occurrence and Toxicity of Perfluorooctanoic Acid and Its Selected Short-Chain Analogs-Perfluorohexanoic Acid and Perfluorobutanoic Acid.

Flame Retardants

Update of the risk assessment on emerging and novel brominated flame retardants in food.

Pesticides

Chemical mixtures of pesticides: A review of the recent findings with the zebrafish model.

Conventional and Nonconventional Therapies for Pesticide-Induced Cardiotoxicity: A Systematic Review

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Microplastics and Mammary Carcinogenesis: A Review of In Vitro and In Vivo Experimental Evidence

Micro- and Nanoplastics in Cardiovascular Toxicology: Human Tissue Detection, Clinical Phenotypes, and Adverse Outcome Signals.

Micro- and Nanoplastics as Emerging Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Systematic Review.

Microplastics and Nanoplastics as Potential Metabolic Disruptors: Implications for Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes.

Micro- and nanoplastics disrupt the gut-liver-brain axis: mechanisms of multi-organ toxicity in animal models.

Microplastics and nanoplastics in humans: exposure pathways, biological mechanisms, and implications for health risk assessment.

Fate, Toxicology and Organ-on-A-Chip Methodology of Nanoplastics in Human Body.

A systematic review of the presence and potential health impacts of microplastics in the human body.

Transcriptomic Insights into Micro- and Nanoplastic Toxicity in Zebrafish: A Narrative Review.

Applications of Stem Cells and Modern Toxicological Analytical Methods in the Toxicity of Microplastics.

Dietary Microplastic Exposure in Athletes: Implications for Metabolism, Gut Health, and Performance.

Environmental Exposure to Micro- and Nanoplastics: Linking Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer Through Shared Biological Pathways-A Critical Review.

Nanoplastic Translocation Across Biological Barriers (Blood-Brain, Placental, Intestinal): Transport Mechanisms, Tissue-Specific Vulnerabilities, and a Corona-Driven Barrier Selectivity Framework.

Exposure to micro- and nano-plastics: From human internal burden to systems-level health-risk interpretation

The Reproductive Toxicity of Microplastics: From Environmental Contamination to Organ Distribution and Reproductive Hazards.

Air Pollution

Ambient Air Pollution, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, and Pubertal Development: A Critical Review of Emerging Evidence.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

A quantitative weight-of-evidence review of preclinical studies examining the potential carcinogenicity of acetaminophen.

Human Health Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Combined Effects of Metals and PFAS Exposure on Prevalent Diabetes.

Joint effects of prenatal exposure to bisphenols and air pollution on intelligence quotient in preschool children: A prospective cohort study in China

Bisphenols/Phthalates/Parabens/Triclosan

Phenolic Endocrine-Disrupting Chemical Exposure and Systemic Biomarker Variability in Patients with Lung Cancer.

Case Report: Recurrent gestation-limited intractable abdominal colic with elevated phthalate and paraben biomarkers: a hypothesis-generating observation.

Association between gut microbiota composition and liver dysfunction in school-aged children exposed to triclosan.

Di(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate Exposure and Risk of Diabetic Kidney Disease: Epidemiological Association and Mechanistic Insights.

PFAS

Childhood exposure to legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and autistic traits in children at age 4.

Perfluoroalkyl/Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, Hemostatic/Inflammatory Biomarkers, and Incident Hypertension: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation.

Exposure profiles of legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in follicular fluid and their impacts on assisted reproductive outcomes: A multicenter study in China.

Pesticides

Maternal exposure to pyrethroid insecticides during pregnancy and repeated measures of infection symptoms among early school-aged children in the Venda Health Examination of Mothers, Babies and their Environment (VHEMBE).

Association of exposure to household pesticides with concentration of serum sex steroid hormones in general U.S. population: A cross-sectional study.

Concentrations of 4-hydroxychlorothalonil in serum from pregnant women and the association with risk of testicular germ cell cancer in their male offspring.

Assessment of effect modification in associations between biomarkers of prenatal glyphosate exposure and child neurodevelopment in Puerto Rico.

Evaluating the Effects of Pesticides Residues on Seminal Fluid Antioxidants Status and Semen Parameters among Males with Infertility at a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria.

Exposure profiles of legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in follicular fluid and their impacts on assisted reproductive outcomes: A multicenter study in China.

Metals/Metalloids

Associations of prenatal metal exposures with autism-related outcomes in the ECHO cohort.

Air Pollution

Long-Term PM2.5 Exposure and Timing of Pubertal Development in Boys and Girls: A Prospective Cohort Study in Chongqing, China.

Laboratory Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Synergistic neurotoxicity of mono-butyl phthalate and bisphenol A at environmentally relevant concentrations: Multi-Omics evidence for ferroptosis via glutathione metabolism disruption in neural stem cells and brain organoids

Neurobehavioral and Molecular Alterations Following Single and Combined Exposure to Chlorpyrifos and PFHxS in Developing Zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Bisphenols

Comprehensive analysis of the molecular dynamics of bisphenol compounds and prediction of their effects on prostate cancer progression.

Characterization of ovine granulosa cell-derived extracellular vesicles and their miRNA cargo following in vitro exposure to bisphenols A and S.

Exploring the Reproductive Toxicity of Bisphenol S Through a Network Toxicology and Molecular Docking Analysis.

Exploring the Molecular Mechanisms of Autism Induced by Early Childhood Exposure to Bisphenol A Based on Network Toxicology and Molecular Docking.

Integrating Network Toxicology with Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Reveal Key Targets and Binding Mechanisms of Bisphenol A in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Integrated Multi-Omics Links Bisphenol AF (BPAF) Exposure to Hepatic Lipid Metabolism Disruption via Succinate Dehydrogenase Dysfunction and Mitochondrial Impairment

Network Toxicology and Machine Learning Uncover BPA-Driven Molecular Mechanisms in Atopic Dermatitis.

Curcumin Attenuates Bisphenol F-Induced Osteoporosis and Osteogenic Dysfunction via PI3K/AKT Pathway Activation.

Phthalates

Dibutyl phthalate exposure induced hepatotoxicity via VDAC2 mediated mitochondria-dependent ferroptosis.

Transcriptomic analysis identifies key genes and mechanisms involved in dibutyl phthalate-induced alteration in hepatic stellate cells.

BBP acts as an exogenous modulator of MMP9 to rewire vascular immunity and promote atherosclerosis.

Plasticizers and prostate cancer: unraveling the link through network toxicology and machine learning.

Integrated multi-omics analysis suggests a potential mechanism of DEHP-induced monocyte infiltration in MASH via the FOS-CCL3/4 axis.

DEHP exposure induces cholesterol dysregulation and inflammatory signaling in human colonic epithelial cells: Implications for early colorectal carcinogenesis

Acute Exposure to Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate or Diisononyl Phthalate Leads to Increased Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in the Uteri of Mice.

DINCH induces intestinal toxicity through “ROS-ENO1-PA-lipid peroxidation” axis: An integrated approach combining network toxicology and experimental validation.

Phthalate induced testicular degeneration in mice: biochemical, histopathological and immunohistochemical evidence for the interplay of oxidative stress, caspase-3, and NF-κB signaling.

Paternal DEHP exposure causes male offspring glycometabolism disorders via sperm miR-10a-5p.

Network toxicology based research into the effect and mechanism of plasticizers on infertility.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Network toxicology and in vitro data suggest PPARA and NFE2L2 as potential key targets in TCDD-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

PFAS

Effects of Fluoride and 8:2 FTOH on β-Cell Calcium Signaling and Insulin Homeostasis: An Exploratory Study

Insights into the Possible Impact of PFAS on Phosphatidylcholine Metabolism and Membranes through Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Placental PI3K-Akt signaling alterations are associated with maternal PFBS exposure and offspring anxiety-like behavior: Implications for the placenta-brain axis.

Mechanisms Underlying Perfluorooctanoic Acid-Induced Neuronal Loss and Cognitive Deficits: Disruption of Mitochondrial Dynamics, Impaired Mitophagy, and Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction.

GenX exposure induces neurodevelopmental impairment and synaptic toxicity in hESC-derived cerebral organoids.

Impact of understudied PFAS on Lipid Metabolism in Hepatocyte 2D and 3D in vitro model.

PFOS Impairs Cognitive Function in Female Rats by Disrupting Astrocyte-Derived Estrogen-ERβ-NDRG2 Signaling Axis.

PFOS Exposure Triggers NRF2-Mediated Senescence in Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Attenuate Their Chondrogenic Potential.

Time-Dependent Effects of PFAS and Their Mixtures on Ovarian Epithelial Cell Proliferation and Chemotherapeutic Response.

Flame Retardants

The mechanism by which long-term exposure to TDCIPP promotes cognitive impairment in 3×Tg-AD mice: insights from multi-omics studies.

Neurotoxic Effects of Aromatic Organophosphate Flame Retardants Revealed by Lipidomic Analysis in Human Brain Organoids.

Life-Cycle Diphenyl Phosphate (DPhP) Exposure Reveals Sex-Differential Functional Alterations in the Zebrafish Gut Microbiota.

Organotins

Triphenyltin-induced hepatotoxicity in zebrafish larvae: A multi-omics insight into lipid metabolism disruption and inflammation.

Pesticides

Dimefluthrin-induced multigenerational endocrine toxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) offspring via parental exposure.

Low concentrations of chlorfenapyr disrupts energy metabolism and endocrine homeostasis, leading to reproductive suppression and transgenerational effects in Conogethes punctiferalis.

Environmental-dose chlorpyrifos disrupts gut microbiota and microbial metabolite profiles: An indirect mechanism promoting breast tumor growth.

Hexaconazole-Induced Male Reproductive Toxicity Through ROS-Mediated Ferroptosis and Impaired Leydig Cell Steroidogenesis.

Hippocampal Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Synaptic Disruption Link Organophosphate Exposure to Pre-Diabetes: An LC-MS/MS-Based Proteomics Approach.

Curcumin Attenuates Glyphosate-Induced Mammary Toxicity via Suppression of ER Stress and the TNFα/MAPK/STAT3 Axis.

Metals/Metalloids

Associations of seminal plasma metal mixtures with sperm quality parameters and exploratory mediation analysis of urinary oxidative stress biomarkers: a cross-sectional study from the RHCC-AC preconception cohort.

Gestational cadmium exposure triggers POI-Like ovarian dysfunction and accelerated ovarian aging through epigenetic repression of Kl in mice.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Prenatal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics caused testicular development toxicities and relative mechanisms in male offspring mice from embryo to adulthood.

Perinatal exposure to polystyrene microplastics: biometric, hormonal and behavioral parameters of male and female Wistar rats at weaning, puberty and adulthood.

Maternal Polystyrene Nanoplastic Exposure Impairs Cardiac Development in Mouse Offspring and Identifies Lactation as a Sensitive Window in Males.

Multi-omics and genetic prioritization identify candidate molecular links between micro- and nanoplastics-associated signatures and chronic kidney disease.

Impact of a pristine versus gastric acid-treated low-density polyethylene in a human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cell line.

Integrated computational analysis identifies FABP4, PTGS2, and HPGD as Key molecular targets linking PET microplastic exposure to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Transplacental and lactational exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics induces structural and cellular alterations in the hippocampus of rat offspring.

Single and mixtures toxicity of emerging (polystyrene nanoplastic) and persistent (PAHs and PCBs) pollutants and their sub-lethal adverse effects on larval stage zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induce Early Mitochondrial Dysfunction in H9c2 Cardiomyoblasts Without Substantial Cell Damage.

Polystyrene nanoplastics impair placental function and promote embryo resorption through ROS-mediated ferroptosis-related injury.

Nanoplastics disrupt thyroid hormone homeostasis and neurodevelopment in zebrafish: a systems-level assessment.

Investigating the Mechanisms of Liver Injury in Zebrafish Induced by Polystyrene Microplastics and 17α-Methyltestosterone Based on the Gut-Liver Axis.

Miscellaneous

The tire antioxidant derivative 6PPD-quinone exacerbates IBD by targeting NR1H4-mediated lipid metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction in human colon epithelial cells.

Exposure/Environment Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Urinary biomarkers of PAHs, VOCs, OPEs, and metal(loid)s in firefighters responding in the wildland urban interface (WUI).

Analysis of Human Placental Tissues Using Gas Chromatography High Resolution Accurate Mass Spectrometry to Characterize Exposure to a Range of Semivolatile Organic Compounds.

Bisphenols

Bisphenol F-Associated Repeated Breeding Syndrome in Cows: Epidemiological Evidence and Protective Effects of Phillyrin Against Granulosa Cell Injury.

Phthalates

Phthalate and alternative plasticizer exposure and antiandrogenic risk among automobile parts manufacturing workers in South Korea

PFAS

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure profiles for pregnant women living in urban, rural, and remote areas of Suriname, South America suggest higher serum concentrations in remote rainforest communities.

Distribution of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and metals in United States municipal solid waste incineration fly ash.

Nationwide Monitoring and Hepatic Mixture Risk Assessment of PFASs in Korean Drinking Water Using Relative Potency Factors.

PFAS Uptake by Plants in Soils Amended with Biosolids Derived from Wastewater with Industrial Input.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the contributing zone of the Edwards aquifer in south central Texas: 1. spatial and temporal distribution.

Occurrence, Source Inference, and Risk Assessment of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Effluents, River Water and Groundwater from the Lijiang River Basin, a Typical Karst Region.

Cats and dogs as complementary sentinels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure: divergent serum profiles, dietary sources, fecal excretion, and health associations

PFAS contamination in Texas Gulf Coast estuarine sediments and impacts of environmentally informed concentrations on early life stage sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus).

Flame Retardants

Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Human Health Risk Assessment of Organophosphate Esters in Indoor Dust in Beijing.

Pesticides

Uncovering Urinary Neonicotinoid Exposure Signatures Among Older Adults in South China: A Multicenter Biomonitoring Study.

Metals/Metalloids

Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements Contamination in Children’s Toys in the USA-Mexico Border Region by X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

PFAS and Microplastics: Are Biodegradable Microplastics Less Harmful to the Environment?

Development and Exploratory Evaluation of the Dietary Plastic Exposure Score for Mexican Populations in University Students

Can AI Reliably Identify Marine Microplastics in Wildlife? Assessing Multi-Modal Foundation Models for Polymer Classification with Minimal Training.

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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

Lou Guillette, Jr. Outstanding Young Investigator Award
by Sarah Howard on July 24, 2026 at 12:33 pm
Due Sept. 30! HEEDS is accepting applications for the 2026 Lou Guillette, Jr. Outstanding Young Investigator Award. Sponsored by Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS), the award honors the late scientist and mentor, Lou Guillette, Jr. Information here.
Plastics and human health symposium
by Sarah Howard on July 15, 2026 at 12:36 pm
The third annual symposium on plastics and health will be held at NYU and streamed online on Sept. 22-23, 2026. The event will focus on individual environments where plastics abound and discuss opportunities and effects of solutions, focusing on the science-policy interface. Sponsored by NYU Langone Health's Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards (CIEH) and the Food Packaging Forum. Register here.
Webinar: Glyphosate science: cancer, neurotoxicity & endocrine disruption
by Sarah Howard on July 15, 2026 at 10:54 am
This Oct. 6 webinar features Dr. Daniele Mandrioli, who will discuss recent findings from the Global Glyphosate Study, and Dr. Lianne Sheppard will discuss the findings presented at the Seattle Glyphosate Symposium and the resulting consensus statement. Sponsored by the Collaborative for Health and Environment (CHE).

EHN EHN

Every stage of plastic use — from production to disposal — harms human health
by Environmental Health Sciences Staff on July 30, 2026 at 1:36 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.
Q&A: Are environmental chemicals and endometrial cancer linked?
by EHN Curators on July 29, 2026 at 5:19 pm
Penn State researchers are investigating how environmental exposures may contribute to endometrial cancer, with a focus on endocrine-disrupting chemicals and rural women's health.
Large NYC study adds evidence linking glyphosate to preterm birth risk
by EHN Curators on July 24, 2026 at 12:44 pm
A study led by NYU Langone Health showed that pregnant women with higher exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup, faced a significantly higher risk of going into spontaneous labor early.

EHN EHN

Forever chemicals and pesticides under Trump: what to know
by EHN Curators on August 3, 2026 at 12:20 pm
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has an alternative definition of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that excludes new herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, and says they pose no threat to human health.
Opinion: Reflections on pesticide regulation from a “recovering” EPA chemist
by EHN Curators on July 31, 2026 at 11:53 am
A former EPA chemist recounts agency reluctance to respond to risks seen with pesticides.
Tracking the Trump administration’s favors to the pesticide industry
by EHN Curators on July 24, 2026 at 12:05 pm
Over the past 18 months, the Trump administration has delivered a string of victories to the pesticide industry.