EDC Science Weekly, May 1-7, 2026

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:May 7, 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:

In utero and childhood exposure to organochlorines and PFAS in relation to sperm aneuploidy in adulthood
Micronutrients as Mitigators of Endocrine Disrupting Chemical Health Effects
Polystyrene microplastics and hepatic fibrosis-related indices in type 2 diabetes
Extractable organofluorine and PFAS in human serum from a Norwegian cohort, with the impact of fluorinated pharmaceuticals.
Endocrine disruptors affecting human and companion animal endocrine function: similarities and indicators in the one health concept – volume II.

Science summaries and highlights

Events

May 7 webinar (today!): New science on neonicotinoids: Reproductive and neurodevelopmental health effects [CHE]

May 7 webinar: The Plastic Detox: A Free Educational Webinar on the New Documentary Film [Beyond Plastics]

May 13 science café: The Secret Chemistry of Hair Extensions [Silent Spring Institute]

May 19 webinar: Prenatal Exposure to OP Pesticides: Health outcomes & potential mechanisms [EDC Strategies Partnership, Young EDC Scientist Showcase]

May 19 webinar: NIH Strategic Priorities Supporting Progress in Birth Defects Research, Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology, and Next Generation New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) [Society of Toxicology, Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention]

May 20 panel: Made to Last, Built to Harm: Reckoning and reimagining our relationship with plastic [Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation, Agents of Change]

May 21 webinar: Hidden Harms: How plastics & chemicals in plastics impact children’s developing brains [CHE Alaska]

May 26 webinar: Virtual control groups in pre-clinical toxicity studies [ECHA]

May 29 conference: HEEDS EDC-North Carolina Annual Scientific Meeting (in person in Raleigh NC) [HEEDS]

Summer 2026: Skills for Health and Research Professionals (SHARP) Training program [Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health]

June 8-10: National PFAS Conference (in Tucson, AZ)

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

June 15 due date for RFI: Facilitating Evidence Synthesis to Improve Decision-Making on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals [Pew Charitable Trusts]

June 25 webinar: Reporting on Toxics & Health: Lessons from covering “forever chemicals” [CHE]

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.

July 8-10: U.S. Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) annual meeting (Raleigh NC); Trainee day July 8.

July 15 due date: Call for papers: Bridging Human and Animal Studies to Better Understand How Environmental Factors Impact Human Reproductive and Developmental Health: Celebrating Professor Shanna H. Swan for Her Outstanding Achievements in the Field [Reproductive Toxicology]

Regulations/Policy

The fall of the Environmental Protection Agency under Donald Trump.

How pesticide exposure and effects match with the intention of European pesticide regulation – a mini review

Health benefit considerations for the development of fish advisory guidelines for PFOS.

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

Methods/Tools/Screening

EDC Profiler: A High-Throughput Screening Server for Identifying Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals toward Multiple Nuclear Receptors.

Developing adverse outcome pathways underlying CAR activation-induced liver injuries using HepG2 spheroid model.

Deep learning advances high-throughput toxicity screening of chemicals at multi-biological levels.

Commentaries

Editorial: Endocrine disruptors affecting human and companion animal endocrine function: similarities and indicators in the one health concept [intro to a Research Topic in Frontiers in Endocrinology]

Measuring What Matters: Particle-Chemical Domains and Analytical Gaps in Biomonitoring of Micro- and Nanoplastics.

Microplastics and oral health.

The brain is defenseless against pesticides.

Links Between Toxic Exposures and Mental Health Conditions Among US Military

Glyphosate: US Supreme Court ruling could block lawsuits alleging pesticide causes cancer. [News item in BMJ]

Reviews/Meta-Analyses

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

The Human Exposome: Integrating the Environment, Human Health, and Society for the Next 60 years.

The role of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in obesity: mechanisms, evidence, and public health implications.

Environmental Exposures and Neuroimaging in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Scoping Review.

Developmental Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors and Persistent Pollutants Heightens Addiction Risk via Toxicological Mechanisms.

Micronutrients as Mitigators of Endocrine Disrupting Chemical Health Effects: A Scoping Review and Framework for Epidemiologic Studies.

Triple threat: a review on nanoplastic ecotoxicity, pollutant co-exposures, and climate change in freshwater organisms.

PFAS

Prenatal 6:2 Cl-PFESA exposure and birth weight: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PFOS Exposure and Diabetes Burden in Selected Chinese Provinces: A Spatiotemporal and Demographic Assessment.

Pesticides

Research Trends on Pesticide Exposure and Cancer Development: A Global Literature Review (2005-2024).

Metals/Metalloids

A scoping review of uranium and other radioactive heavy metals in breast milk and their impact on early life health.

Heavy Metal Toxicity in Clinical and Environmental Health: Sources, Mechanisms, Diagnostics, and Evidence-Based Management of Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, and Arsenic.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Human Brain: Mechanistic Plausibility, Translational Challenges, and Links to Neurological Disease Trends.

Polystyrene Microplastics Induce Nephrotoxicity via Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, Autophagy, and Ferroptosis.

Unraveling the endocrine disruption potential of microplastics in testosterone regulation.

Microplastics as an emerging environmental pollutant potentially leading to neurodegenerative diseases.

Micro- and nanoplastics-mediated immunometabolic reprogramming: a systemic nexus for chronic inflammation and multi-organ disease risk.

Impact of Micro and Nanoplastics on Reproductive Cancer and the Potential Anticancer Benefits of Prolonged Ginger, Garlic, and Turmeric Consumption: A Narrative Review.

Air Pollution

Impact of Pollution on Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Focus on Air Pollution.

Miscellaneous

Sustainable Bio-Based Plasticizers: Advances in Polyols and Natural Compound Derivatives from Sorbitol, Glycerol, Cardanol, and Limonene.

Co-mitigating tire wear particles and their leachates across the life cycle: A critical review.

A mechanistic evaluation of the metabolism disrupting potential of methyl tert-butyl ether.

Safety and Innovation in Conventional Plastics: A Review of Polymer Synthesis and Emerging Technologies.

Human Health Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

In utero and childhood exposure to organochlorines and perfluorinated chemicals in relation to sperm aneuploidy in adulthood.

Lipid clues: Decoding the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on female reproductive health

Phthalates

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate exposure: Association with metabolic associated steatotic liver disease and underlying mechanisms.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Prenatal Exposure to Parabens: Associations with Reproductive Hormone Alterations Prenatal Paraben Exposure and Reproductive Hormones.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Persistent Blood Dioxins and Sensory Impairment Assessed by Quantitative Sensory Testing in 115 Yusho Patients 57 Years After Exposure.

Maternal B-vitamin status modifies the risk of congenital heart disease in offspring associated with prenatal persistent organic pollutants exposure.

PFAS

PFAS Exposure Perturbs Lipid Metabolism to Promote Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Alter Growth Trajectories via Distinct Mechanisms in Singletons and Twins.

Multi-omics integration identifies PFOS-associated immune signatures in Kawasaki disease.

Integrating machine learning and metabolomics to identify PFAS-associated metabolic alterations related to lung cancer risk.

PFAS Contamination and the Impacts of Environmental Turbulence: The Role of Collective Memory and Narrative Epidemiology in Invisible Disaster.

Pesticides

Sex and adrenal hormone alteration in Ecuadorian adolescents with home and school proximity to floriculture crop area

Urinary pesticide biomarker associations with depression and anxiety scores from adolescence into young adulthood in the ESPINA cohort.

Effect of pesticide exposure on liver function tests and serum cholinesterase levels among floriculture industry workers in Bahirdar, Ethiopia: a comparative cross-sectional study.

Presence of glyphosate in endometrial cancer tissue: A cross-sectional study.

Urinary Glyphosate Exposure and Risk of Obstructive Airway Diseases in Youth and Adults: Population-Based Evidence from U.S. Biomonitoring Data.

Metals/Metalloids

Prenatal exposure to metal(loid)s and hormone profile in umbilical cord serum: Evidence of sex-specific association.

Prenatal and early postnatal lead exposure and later adulthood BMI: The Saint Louis Baby Tooth – Later Life Health Study.

Activation of anti-inflammatory pathways by polyunsaturated fatty acid signaling may protect neurodevelopment in children prenatally exposed to methylmercury

Serum cotinine-assessed tobacco exposure, cadmium co-exposure, and childhood obesity: a cross-sectional study

Associations Between Environmental Metal Mixture Exposure and Urinary DNA Adduct Biomarkers of Oxidative and Alkylative Damage in Adults.

Metal accumulation in paired colon cancer and adjacent tissues and its relationship with genotoxic and epigenetic biomarkers.

The Association of Inorganic Arsenic Exposure with Hypertension and High Blood Pressure Among African Caribbean Adults in Tobago.

Long-term effect of early-life arsenic exposure on morning plasma cortisol in adults from Antofagasta, Chile.

Environmental Risk Factors, Toxic Metals, and Essential Elements in Urine Samples of Algerian Children with Severe Autism Spectrum Disorder and Neurotypical Children.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Polystyrene microplastics and hepatic fibrosis-related indices in type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional analysis with experimental validation.

Laboratory Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Bridging environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals and AMI: identification of MERTK as a potential diagnostic candidate for AMI via integrated bioinformatics and clinical validation.

Short-term exposure to a mixture of tributyltin plus cadmium disrupts the female reproductive organs, inducing ovarian follicular depletion and metabolic offspring outcomes in rats.

Cypermethrin and PFOS Co-Exposure: Synergistic Immunotoxicity in Ex Vivo Stimulated Whole Blood of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Bisphenols

Bisphenol A and Its Substitutes Show Proatherosclerotic Potential through the Dysregulation of CD36-Driven Cholesterol Homeostasis.

Fitness in novel environments: Bisphenol S and warming reduce energy efficiency, reproductive success, and movement across generations in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Multi-scale evidence chain: Linking environmental BPA exposure to ovarian cancer through integrated omics and experimental models.

Elucidating the Potential Targets and Mechanisms of Bisphenol A-Induced Prostate Cancer Based on Network Toxicology and Molecular Docking Analyses.

The Endocrine Disrupting Compounds Bisphenol-A and α-Zeranol Mimic the Estrogen Transcriptional Program to Promote Proliferation and Stemness in Breast Cancer Cells.

Integrating multi-omics and machine learning to decipher the molecular pathways of bisphenol a-associated lactylation-related genes driving bladder cancer.

In Vitro Studies on Induction of Ferroptosis Upon Low-level Exposure of Bisphenol A on Rat Erythrocytes.

Bisphenol A potentiates ischemia-reperfusion-induced endothelial and blood-brain barrier dysfunction associated with CX3CL1-CX3CR1 signaling.

Bisphenol S induces lipid metabolic disruption associated with SREBP signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Phthalates

Immune dysregulation and cellular dysfunction mediate di-n-pentyl phthalate-induced hepatotoxicity: Insights from single-cell RNA sequencing.

DEHP disrupts lipid Metabolism via autophagy hyperactivation and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Prenatal diisononyl phthalate exposure induces the development of pulmonary dysplasia in offspring.

Network Toxicology Reveals the Mechanisms of the Plasticizer Metabolite MECPP in Metabolic Diseases.

Mode-of-Action and Human Relevance Assessment for Diisononyl Phthalate-Induced Liver Tumors in Rodents.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Triclosan Exposure Perturbs Skin Lipid Metabolism and Inflammatory Pathways: Insights from Network Toxicology and Multi-Omics Analyses.

Lipophilicity and Alkyl Chain Length Govern Pyridine Quaternary Ammonium Disinfectants as Gonadal 3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Inhibitors: Implications for Endocrine Disruption.

PFAS

Potential Effects of Prepubertal Exposure to Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid on the First Wave of Folliculogenesis in Young CD-1 Mice.

Impact of early-life F-53B exposure on skeletal development of zebrafish offspring.

F-53B exposure accelerates progression from preexisting fatty liver to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatic fibrosis.

PFAS Compounds Display Distinct Toxicological Effects in Drosophila melanogaster, Reflected by Reduced Viability and Impaired Neuronal Function.

Vegetable Activated Charcoal for Human Consumption Reduces Selected PFAS Levels in a Bile Secretion Model: Cues on Its Possible Clinical Use.

Flame Retardants

Unraveling the Molecular Mechanisms of Triphenyl Phosphate-Induced Hepatotoxicity: Integrated Insights from Network Toxicology, Molecular Docking, and Transcriptomic Evidence.

Perinatal Organophosphate Flame Retardant Exposure Alters Adult Stress Axis and Avoidance Behavior in Mice.

Pesticides

Maternal Flutamide Exposure Induces Spermatogenic Dysfunction in Male Offspring: The Mechanistic Role of RARα-Mediated NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation.

Integrative network toxicology and multi-omics analysis reveals potential mechanisms of imidacloprid-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells and Caenorhabditis elegans.

Metals/Metalloids

In Silico ApoE Isoform Interactions with Methylmercury (MeHg) and In Vivo MeHg Intoxication Effects on Epididymal White Fat Tissue and Liver Function in Young ApoE Knockout Mice.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

From avoidance to ingestion: Microplastic-induced behavioral and physiological adaptations elevate microplastic ingestion and chronic toxicological risks in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma).

Size- and polymer-dependent effects of polystyrene and polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Time- and dose-dependent toxicity profiles and molecular correspondence of nanoplastics in human embryonic stem cells (H9).

Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induce Hippocampal Damage and Cognitive Deficits through Oxidative Stress-Triggered Microglial Extracellular Traps and Neuronal Ferroptosis.

Environmentally relevant concentrations of nanoplastic increase the accumulation and endocrine effects of BDE47 and its metabolite 6-OH-BDE-47 in male frogs’ testes.

An exploration into the transplacental transfer of microplastics through placental transporters.

Dose- and size-dependent effects of microplastics in a simplified mast-cell model of inflammation.

From Exposure to Inheritance: Persistent Microplastic-Induced Neural and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Subsequent Generations of Drosophila melanogaster.

Transcriptomic and functional profiling of endothelial dysfunction induced by polystyrene nanoplastics.

Microplastics induce osteoarthritis by modulating chondrocyte inflammation and disrupting TGF-β signaling in mesenchymal stem cells.

In vivo methylmercury toxicity is exacerbated by polystyrene microplastic exposure, leading to colon barrier disruption, gut dysbiosis, and systemic oxidative imbalance.

Curcumin attenuates nanoparticle-induced renal injury via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Miscellaneous

Exposure to tire particles leachates reduces clearance rate, increases trace metal accumulation and mortality, and impairs gut microbiota in mussels (Mytilus edulis).

Exposure to 6-PPD quinone inhibits ATP synthesis by causing damage on mitochondrial complex V in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Exposure/Environment Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Suspect screening identification of emerging contaminants and their phase I and II metabolites in Mediterranean fish muscle: Implications for human exposure.

Bisphenols

Biomonitoring of bisphenol A, S, and F in urine samples from children in Finland.

Phthalates

Migration of Diethyl-Hexyl-Phthalate from Plastic Containers and Oak Casks to Tequila During Long-Term Storage and Aging.

PFAS

A rapid in-situ method based on liquid-phase nanoextraction for the determination of perfluorinated compounds in cerebrospinal fluid.

Extractable organofluorine (EOF) and target PFAS, including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), in human serum from a Norwegian cohort, with a case study on the impact of fluorinated pharmaceuticals.

Use of a capillary blood collection device to monitor exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Veterans living in proximity to potential sources of environmental contamination.

Occurrence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in tap drinking water in British Columbia, Canada.

Per- and polyfluoralkylated substances (PFAS) and other emerging contaminants in groundwater from central urban areas of São Paulo city, Brazil.

How long will perfluoroalkyl substances persist in sludge-amended soils?: Century-scale regional accumulation-decay modeling for North America, Europe, and Asia.

Fluorine Mass Balance Exposes Intrinsic PFAS and Precursor Content in Geosynthetics Used in Landfill Systems.

PFAS hotspots in Swedish offshore sediments: Regional patterns and sorption dynamics.

A rank order of 26 North American fish species by propensity for PFAS bioaccumulation.

Spatial-temporal patterns of perfluoroalkyl substances in the biota of the Laurentian Great Lakes: A meta-analysis.

Target and semi-quantitative non-target analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Arctic animals.

Pesticides

Development and validation of matrix-validated LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous quantification of 21 neonicotinoids and their metabolites in human urine.

Metals/Metalloids

Changes in community members’ toenail metal concentrations after cessation of nearby open-burn thermal treatment of munitions waste.

A comparison of metal concentrations in vegetables from urban community gardens and groceries in response to community research.

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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

New online course: EDCs 101
by Sarah Howard on April 29, 2026 at 5:41 pm
HEEDS has created an online course on endocrine disrupting chemicals and we are looking for people to try it out. This course is designed to break down how endocrine disrupting chemicals work inside the body and the supporting evidence about how these chemicals change the way we think about health.
Webinar: Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides: health outcomes & potential mechanisms
by Sarah Howard on April 29, 2026 at 10:12 am
This May 19 webinar features two early-career scientists who will discuss their research on the health effects of prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides. Sponsored by the EDC Strategies Partnership and the HEEDS Young EDC Scientist Showcase. Register/information.
HEEDS EDC-North Carolina meeting
by Sarah Howard on March 24, 2026 at 12:51 pm
EDC-North Carolina's fifth annual meeting will be held on Friday, May 29, 2026. It will be held at NIEHS in the Rodbell Auditorium, and attendance is free and open to everyone. There will be awards for best posters; posters from other meetings are accepted. More information here. Sponsored by Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS).

EHN EHN

Massachusetts PFAS and Your Health Study
by EHN Curators on May 13, 2026 at 2:30 pm
Researchers at Silent Spring Institute are tracking PFAS exposure in Massachusetts communities to better understand the chemicals’ long-term health effects and help residents reduce future risks.
Vitamins and essential minerals may help minimize the impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals
by Environmental Health Sciences Staff on May 8, 2026 at 6:38 pm
According to a recent review published by Current Environmental Health Reports, a healthy diet that includes vitamins and minerals (known collectively as micronutrients) may lessen the health effects of some toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).
Toxic chemicals and climate change work together to harm fertility across species
by Environmental Health Sciences Staff on May 1, 2026 at 8:37 pm
In a recent review published in NPJ Emerging Contaminants, researchers examine how toxic chemicals can reduce fertility in both humans and wildlife, and how these effects are worsened by climate change.

EHN EHN

Norway puts UN project funding on hold raising fears for plastics treaty talks
by EHN Curators on May 12, 2026 at 12:20 pm
The move by the program's largest donor poses further uncertainty for already troubled negotiations.
Sharp drop in ‘forever chemicals’ in seabird eggs hailed as win for regulation
by EHN Curators on May 12, 2026 at 11:55 am
PFAS levels shot up from the 1960s through the peak of the chemicals’ use in the late 1990s and early 2000s, then fell.
EPA to propose rolling back some Biden-era PFAS limits in drinking water under Trump plan
by EHN Curators on May 8, 2026 at 12:35 pm
The Trump administration plans to weaken some Biden-era limits on "forever chemicals" in drinking water.