EDC Science Weekly, May 23-29, 2025

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:May 29, 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:

Diabetes from plastics.
Study on chemical/diet interactions: chemical exposures and diet on birth outcomes.
Two human studies on microplastics and health: microplastic exposure and pregnancy-induced hypertension and microplastics in human cerebrospinal fluid and Alzheimer’s disease.
Two studies on whether it’s the plastics or the additives that are the most toxic: plastic additives in microplastic toxicity from consumer products and particles, chemicals or both? car tire rubber microplastics and early life stages of Atlantic cod.

FYI: Germany Plans Global Alternative to PubMed [Medpage Today]

Science summaries and highlights

Events

May 29 webinar: Corporate Drivers of Disease: Exploring the UCSF Industry Documents Library [CHE, UCSF PRHE]

June 5 virtual events: Persevering for an Equitable and Holistic Environmental Protection System and Protecting Public Science: How to Defend Scientific Integrity in a New Era of Interference [Union of Concerned Scientists]

June 9 webinar: Microplastics and Health Webinar Series: Research Priorities, Mitigation Strategies, and Public Communication in the Face of Uncertainties [National Academies]

June 10 conference: Preventing diseases by reducing exposure to harmful chemicals (hybrid) [Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)]

June 16-17 workshop: Roadmap to phase out animal testing for chemical safety assessments [The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)]

June 18 webinar: Defend Our Health: Authors & Friends, feat. Sharon Udasin [Defend Our Health and Island Press]

June 19 webinar: Key areas of regulatory challenge: research needs and opportunities [ECHA]

June 19 conference: Endocrine disruption: Perspectives from the 2024 ICEDA Awardees [Intersectoral Centre for Endocrine Disruptor Analysis (ICEDA)]

July 8 webinar: Communicating about EDCs & Health: Why words matter [CHE]

July 30 – Aug. 1 conference: U.S. Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) Society Annual Meeting

Sept. 22-23 save the date: Second Annual Scientific Symposium on Plastics and Human Health [NYU Langone Health Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards (CIEH)]

More events

Regulations/Policy

Fish consumption advice is depriving children of neurolipids and other nutrients essential to brain and eye development.

Moving from research tools to risk management tools in endocrine disruptors: Validation.

More EDC policy, FPF’s regulations open for comment, Science’s Trump-Tracker, and links to preserved resources removed from U.S. federal websites

Methods/Tools/Screening

Development and validation of an interpretable machine learning model for predicting hyperuricemia risk: Based on environmental chemical exposure.

Rat embryonic stem cell-based in vitro testing platform for mammalian embryo toxicology at pre- and post-implantation stages.

Framework for classifying chemicals for repeat dose toxicity using NAMs.

Evaluation of a high-throughput in-vitro-to-in-vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) workflow for the prioritization of potential developmental toxicity of chemicals.

Developmental neurotoxicity as a case example for a six-step framework for the sustainable regulatory implementation of NAMs

Commentaries

Microplastic in perfusion: the hidden risk and how to address it. [re plastics in medical tubing]

Editorial: Endocrine disruption in marine species: unraveling pollution and climate change effects. [intro to a research topic in Frontiers in Endocrinology]

Regulate microplastics in drinking water. [Letter in Science]

Reviews/Meta-Analyses

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Exploring the link between environmental chemical exposures and epigenetic modifications in diabetes mellitus.

Understanding the role of endocrine disrupting chemicals as environmental obesogens in the obesity epidemic: A comprehensive overview of epidemiological studies between 2014 and 2024.

Impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on epigenetic regulation in the uterus: a narrative review.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and female reproductive health: a growing concern.

Taste and endocrine disruption.

The Exposome and the Kidney: A Silent Dialogue Shaping Chronic Kidney Disease.

Air Pollution and Pituitary Adenoma Pathogenesis: Unraveling Environmental Impacts on Neuroendocrine Function and Tumorigenesis.

BPA/Phenols

Diabetes from plastics: Role of endocrine disruptors in β-cell physiology.

Can Bisphenols Alter the Inflammation Process?

Phthalates

Dysregulation of microRNA (miRNA) Due to Phthalate/Phthalate Metabolite Exposure and Associated Health Effects: A Narrative Review.

Association between Phthalate exposure and Reproductive Health in Patients Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Phthalate Contamination in Food: Occurrence, Health Risks, Biomarkers for Detection, and Mitigation Strategies to Enhance Food Safety.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Dietary intake of dioxins and cancer – where do we stand?

PFAS

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): immunotoxicity at the primary sites of exposure.

Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Vitamin Metabolism: A Nutritional Perspective on an Emerging Environmental Health Issue.

Pesticides

Toxicological concerns regarding glyphosate, its formulations, and co-formulants as environmental pollutants: a review of published studies from 2010 to 2025.

Effect of Diquat on gut health: molecular mechanisms, toxic effects, and protective strategies.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Nano and Microplastics: Unveiling Their Profound Impact on Endocrine Health.

Microplastics as an emerging threat to human health: An overview of potential health impacts.

Assessing the Impact of Nanoplastics in Biological Systems: Systematic Review of In Vitro Animal Studies.

The impact of micro- and nanoplastics on immune system development and functions: Current knowledge and future directions.

Mitigating microplastic-induced organ Damage: Mechanistic insights from the microplastic-macrophage axes.

Micro- and Nanoplastics and Fetal Health: Challenges in Assessment and Evidence from Epidemiological Studies.

Implications of plastic-derived endocrine disruptors on human health.

Air pollution and its impacts on health: Focus on microplastics and nanoplastics.

Plastic Smell: A Review of the Hidden Threat of Airborne Micro and Nanoplastics to Human Health and the Environment.

A Review on Replacing Food Packaging Plastics with Nature-Inspired Bio-Based Materials.

Microplastics in agricultural soils: sources, impacts, and mitigation strategies.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

ASCCP Clinical Consensus: Screening Recommendations for Clear Cell Adenocarcinomas in People Exposed to DES In Utero

Human Health Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Effects of chemical exposures and diet on birth outcomes in a New York City pregnancy cohort: Mediation through favorable fetal growth conditions.

Exposome-wide association study of sex-steroid hormones in the U.S. general population: evaluation of complex mixture effects.

Impact of endocrine disrupting chemical exposure on thyroid disruption and oxidative stress in early pregnancy.

Screening for endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with autoimmune encephalitis.

Environmental exposure assessment in the international prospective study of Chronic Kidney Disease of UnceRtain Etiology (CKDu) in Agricultural Communities (CURE) research consortium: Design and protocol development.

The causal role of endocrine disrupting chemicals in pubertal timing: a Mendelian randomization study.

Association of non-phthalate plasticizer exposure during early pregnancy with gestational diabetes mellitus: The potential mediation effect of plasma lipidome.

BPA/Phenols

Relationship of urinary bisphenol A in childhood on thyroid hormone function in adolescents: a cohort study.

Bisphenol A in the Urine: Association with Urinary Creatinine, Impaired Kidney Function, Use of Plastic Food and Beverage Storage Products but Not with Serum Anti-Müllerian Hormone in Ovarian Malignancies.

Phenol exposure, Polygenic risk score and dyslexia in Chinese children: Gene-environment interaction.

Phthalates

Association of urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations with inflammatory biomarker levels among pregnant women.

PFAS

Prenatal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposures and DNA methylation among newborns in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes program.

Accelerated placental aging mediated the association between prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and small-for-gestational age newborns.

Seminal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure and sperm quality impairment: from toxic target to rescue.

Integration of Animal, Population, and Toxicogenomic Evidence on the Hematotoxic and Immunosuppressive Effects of Environmental Exposure to PFAS Mixtures in Adolescents.

Pesticides

Distribution of dialkylphosphate metabolites and 1- hydroxypyrene in parent-toddler pairs from agricultural communities and their impacts on toddler’s developmental performance.

Characteristics of Neonicotinoids in Colostrum from Shanghai, China (2007-2019): Concentration Levels, Temporal Trends, and Potential Health Risk.

Glyphosate Exposure, Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Mortality Risk in US Adults: Insights from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Occupational Exposure to Pesticides Among Farmworkers in Morocco: A Study Framework for Endocrine and Epigenetic Effect Assessment.

Metals/Metalloids

Interaction of mercury exposure and DNA methylation with sustained attention in children in a novel analysis of epigenetic susceptibility.

Toxic metals and trace elements, markers of inflammation, and hyperandrogenemia in women and testosterone deficiency in men: Associations and potential mediating factors.

Synergic effect of arsenic exposure related methylation changes in three cohorts exposed to levels of this toxicant.

Burden of Disease Attributed to Prenatal Methylmercury Exposure in the Yanomami Indigenous Land.

Early-Life Low Lead Levels and Academic Achievement in Childhood and Adolescence

Association between heavy metal exposure and diabetic retinopathy related homeostatic dysregulation value in Type 2 diabetic population: A cross-sectional study of NHANES 2003-2016.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Microplastic exposure in daily life and the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension: A study on the association between environmental pollutants and maternal-fetal health outcomes.

Association of microplastics in human cerebrospinal fluid with Alzheimer’s disease-related changes.

Air Pollution

Exposure-Response Associations of Ambient Heavy Metal and Persistent Organic Pollutant with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Association of PM_2.5 and its elemental components with plasma metabolome in healthy older adults: Evidence from epidemiological and experimental studies.

Long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution correlated with overweight/obesity in children and adolescents: A cross-sectional real-world study.

The role of the components of PM_2.5 in the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

Adolescent exposure to benzophenone ultraviolet filters: cross-sectional associations with obesity, cardiometabolic biomarkers, and asthma/allergy in six European biomonitoring studies.

Cancer risk after in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol.

Miscellaneous

Impact of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure on thyroid hormone sensitivity: a cross-sectional study of urinary metabolites in 2356 adults from NHANES.

Laboratory Studies

BPA/Phthalates

Protective effects of apricot kernel oil and metformin against BPA-induced ovarian toxicity in rat models of polycystic ovary syndrome: insights into PI3K/AKT and mitochondrial apoptosis pathways.

Dysregulation of gut barrier and microbiota in Asiatic hard clams (Meretrix petechialis) exposed to environmentally relevant Bisphenol A.

Bisphenol A Exposure Induces Small Intestine Damage Through Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Microbiota Alteration in Rats.

Transgenerational effects of bisphenol S exposure on the development of experimental asthma.

Shared molecular mechanisms of bisphenol A and phthalates in endometriosis: A bioinformatics and molecular docking study.

Metabolite Monomethyl Phthalate (MMP) Induces Oxidative Damage in Rat Erythrocytes: Role of Vitamins C and E.

Early-life long-term exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) impairs pathogenic avoidance behavior associated with dopaminergic pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Dose-response assessment of dipentyl phthalate effects on testosterone production and morphogenesis of late-gestation fetal rat testis.

Dibutyl phthalate exposure suppresses Wnt/β-catenin pathway and induces oxidative damage in placenta.

DEHP exposure alters carcinoembryonic antigen family member transcript levels and modulates responses to activin A in the murine placenta.

Maternal Exposure to an Environmentally Relevant Phthalate Mixture Modulates the Steroidogenic Genes in the Adrenal Glands Throughout Postnatal Development of Male Rats.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

PCB153 induces epileptic-like behaviors in zebrafish by disrupting the GABA pathway.

PFAS

Distinctively Different Effects of Perfluorobutanoic Acid and Perfluorononanoic Acid on Zebrafish Sex Differentiation and Androgen Receptor Activity.

PFOS and Its Substitute OBS Cause Endothelial Dysfunction to Promote Atherogenesis in ApoE^-/- Mice.

Perfluoroalkyl substance pollutants disrupt microglia function and trigger transcriptional and epigenomic changes.

Neurodevelopmental toxicity and mechanism of chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate alternative F-53B in pubertal male rats.

Neurobehavioral response in zebrafish exposed to perfluorooctane sulfonate and its substitutes: Underestimated ecological risks.

Flame Retardants

Tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP) decreases CYP1A1, CYP1A2, and CYP1B1/CYP2B expression and activities through potential interactions between AhR and NRF2 pathways in the HepG2 cell line.

TDCPP Disrupts ALG-2/ALIX-Mediated ESCRT-III Recruitment: Implications for Lysosomal Membrane Repair and Neurotoxicity.

Gestation Exposure to Organophosphate Esters: Structure-Dependent Transplacental Transfer Patterns, Mechanisms, and Toxicity.

A mixture of organophosphate esters sex-specifically impacts monocyte-macrophages in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Pesticides

The impact of glyphosate at regulatory “safe” levels on reproductive health: cellular and molecular disruptions on male germ line.

The effect of an organophosphorus pesticide, chlorpyrifos (from different local sources), on the testicular tissue in adult male albino rats.

Sanghuangporus vaninii polysaccharides alleviates the effects of chlorpyrifos exposure on mouse liver: role of the gut- liver axis.

Atrazine disrupts nitrogen removal performance and greenhouse gas abatement in bioretention systems: Unraveling microbiotas and macrophytes responses.

Melatonin Regulates Clusterin to Reconstruct the Blood-Testis Barrier Disrupted by Atrazine.

Stereoselective cardiovascular toxicity of difenoconazole stereoisomers in zebrafish larvae (Danio rerio) through thyroid hormone disruption.

Ellagic Acid Alleviates Imidacloprid-Induced Thyroid Dysfunction via PI3K/Akt/mTOR-Mediated Autophagy.

Resveratrol Mitigates Acetamiprid-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Rats via Modulation of Jak/Stat, p38 Mapk and mTOR Signaling Pathways.

Metals/Metalloids

Maternal and paternal dietary arsenic exposure impairs reproduction and development in zebrafish offspring: the role of HPG axis dysregulation and altered DNA methylation.

Protective Effects of Ellagic Acid Against Arsenic-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Male Wistar Rats: Impact of Heme Oxygenase-1 Upregulation.

Cadmium Exposure Disrupts Uterine Energy Metabolism and Coagulation Homeostasis During Labor in Institute of Cancer Research Mice: Insights from Transcriptomic Analysis.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Understanding the contribution of plastic additive in microplastic toxicity from consumer products using fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas).

Particles, chemicals or both? Assessing the drivers of the multidimensional toxicity of car tire rubber microplastic on early life stages of Atlantic cod.

Low-dose polystyrene microplastics exposure increases susceptibility to obesity-induced MASLD via disrupting intestinal barrier integrity and gut microbiota homeostasis.

Lifelong exposure to polystyrene-nanoplastics induces an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder-like phenotype and impairs brain aging in mice.

Dust Fall Microplastics from a Megacity of China Inhibit Autophagy via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway.

Sub-chronic nanoplastic toxicity in Etroplus suratensis (Pisces, Cichilidae): Insights into tissue accumulation, stress and metabolic disruption.

Microplastic Exposure Induces Preeclampsia-Like Symptoms via HIF-1α/TFRC-Mediated Ferroptosis in Placental Trophoblast Cells.

Gestational exposure to micro- and nanoplastics leads to poor pregnancy outcomes by impairing placental trophoblast syncytialization.

Transcriptome Sequencing and Metabolite Analysis Revealed the Single and Combined Effects of Microplastics and Di-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate on Mouse Liver.

Photoaged polystyrene nanoplastics induce perturbation of glucose metabolism in HepG2 cells via oxidative stress.

Synergistic reproductive toxicity of microcystin-LR and polystyrene micro/nano-plastics in male zebrafish.

Maternal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics during gestation and lactation impaired skeletal growth in progeny mice by inhibiting neutrophil extracellular trap formation.

Long-Term Exposure to Microplastics Promotes Early-Stage Hepatocarcinogenesis Induced by Diethylnitrosamine in Rats by Modulation of Their Gut Microbiota.

Lactobacillus brevis GKJOY Supplementation Ameliorates Oxidative Stress and Reproductive Dysfunction in Male Rats with Polystyrene Microplastics-Induced Reproductive Toxicity

Miscellaneous

Oxytocin attenuates the endocrine disrupting effects of cocaine in the female rat.

Tire rubber derivative 6PPD and 6PPD-Q induce lipid accumulation in hepatocytes through ERRγ pathway.

Benzo[a]pyrene-Induced Developmental Toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans: Potential Involvement of Insulin/IGF Signaling and Collagen Gene Dysregulation.

Exposure/Environment Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Simultaneous detection of 12 estrogens in poultry meat and blood via ultrasonic extraction and GC-MS: Implications for emerging hormone exposure and health risk assessment.

Oxidative stress biomarkers, metal(loid)s and persistent organic pollutants in European hedgehogs: An integrated approach to environmental contamination.

BPA/Phenols

Bisphenol A release in the saliva of children with Haas expanders.

Urinary concentrations of total and free bisphenol A and daily intake estimation in northern Mexican women.

PFAS

Uncovering the effects of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances distribution in the Tropical Western Pacific.

Quantifying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in air emissions: Lab & field experiences from a hazardous waste incinerator.

Identification and environmental occurrence of novel per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances derived from lithium-ion battery.

Accumulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in tissues of wild boar (Sus scrofa).

Geospatial and socioeconomic factors of PFAS contamination in private drinking water wells: Insights for monitoring and management.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) profiles in primary and secondary landfill leachates: Indications of transformation, liner interactions, and other PFAS sources.

Pesticides

From Target to Unknown: Comprehensive Identification and Risk Assessment of Organophosphate Pesticides in Foodstuffs.

A decade-long meta-analysis of risks posed by pesticides in Chinese surface waters.

Metals/Metalloids

Heavy metal contamination in tampons: A hidden public health concern.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Man-made polymers of natural compounds out weight microplastics in Australian seafood: Are we fixating on the wrong thing?

MPs Entering Human Circulation through Infusions: A Significant Pathway and Health Concern.

Environmental health risk analysis of microplastics due to consumption of squid and mussels at coastal area.

The plastisphere: a comprehensive description of geographic and temporal community patterns across the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care Products

Analysis of Women’s Knowledge, Health Risk Perceptions, Beliefs and Avoidance Behaviour in Relation to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Personal Care and Household Products.

Potential Health Risk of Microplastic Exposures from Skin-Cleansing Products.

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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.

If you enjoy this newsletter, please feel free to donate here! Thank you!

EHN EHN

Webinar: Communicating about EDCs & health: why words matter
by Sarah Howard on May 9, 2025 at 6:22 pm
In this July 8 webinar, Drs. Kevin Elliott and Laura Vandenberg will discuss the range of ways in which scientists can frame and present information on research findings. For example, framing an EDC-related health outcome as a disease or disability can help to focus public attention on hazards of toxic chemicals and promote action to protect human health. At the same time, this framing can be used to stigmatize and harm individuals and communities. The speakers will share a range of strategies available to researchers to communicate responsibly and effectively. Sponsored by the Collaborative for Health and Environment (CHE).
Webinar recording: Changes at NIH: What do they mean for environmental health?
by Sarah Howard on April 3, 2025 at 3:34 pm
This May 8 webinar featured Dr. Linda Birnbaum, who discussed the implications of the Trump administration's changes for environmental health and the NIH. Sponsored by the EDC Strategies Partnership.
Webinar recording: Childhood cancer and the environment: prevention opportunities
by Sarah Howard on March 11, 2025 at 3:35 pm
This April 24 webinar featured Drs. Mark Miller and Catherine Metayer, and was sponsored by CHE Alaska.

EHN EHN

Chemicals in food are an overlooked threat to public health, scientists say
by Environmental Health Sciences Staff on May 30, 2025 at 7:40 pm
A recent article published in Nature Medicine highlights the ubiquitous presence of synthetic chemicals in the global food supply and emphasizes the need to transition to a safer, more sustainable food system. “Public health should be a priority for policymakers, and the importance of mitigating chemical exposures is still underappreciated.”
PCB chemicals may trigger multi-generational cycle of obesity
by Environmental Health Sciences Staff on May 21, 2025 at 5:38 pm
According to a recent study published in Obesity, women’s exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) chemicals was linked to an increased risk of obesity for both their daughters and granddaughters. “Women of reproductive age are a critical target population for reducing exposure to suspected obesogens … Support for clinician education will be essential to implement this strategy.”
Study highlights potential health risks of chemicals in ultra-processed foods
by EHN Curators on May 21, 2025 at 11:21 am
Synthetic chemicals migrating into ultra-processed foods from packaging and equipment may contribute to rising rates of obesity, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses, a new review in Nature Medicine finds. Shannon Kelleher reports for The New Lede.

EHN EHN

EPA backs off stricter PFAS water rules while thousands of others are unregulated
by EHN Curators on May 22, 2025 at 5:35 pm
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is walking back water limits for several toxic PFAS chemicals, sparking outcry from scientists and public health advocates. But how much of a difference can limits on individual PFAS compounds make if thousands of others remain unregulated? Joseph Winters reports for Grist.
Vermont pauses PFAS rules as EPA delays and weakens federal limits
by EHN Curators on May 20, 2025 at 11:46 am
Vermont officials are reassessing their tighter drinking water standards for toxic PFAS chemicals after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rolled back parts of its landmark 2023 regulations and extended deadlines for compliance. Olivia Gieger reports for VTDigger.
New EPA reorganization may quietly dismantle chemical health watchdog
by EHN Curators on May 16, 2025 at 1:08 pm
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving to gut its independent chemical risk program, potentially stalling regulation of dangerous substances and handing a long-sought victory to the chemical industry. Molly Taft reports for Wired.