EDC Science Weekly, May 9-15, 2025

Post author:HEEDS
Post published:May 15, 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:

Proximity to Golf Courses and Risk of Parkinson Disease.
Identification and analysis of microplastics in peritumoral and tumor tissues of colorectal cancer.
Early life phthalate exposure impacts gray matter and white matter volume in infants and young children.
Cumulative Risk Assessment as the Pathway to Public Health Protection for Behavioral Neurotoxicity.

Science summaries and highlights

Events

May 15 webinar: Microplastics’ Impact on the Brain & Heart [Beyond Plastics, PSR NY, Environmental Advocates]

May 20 webinar: The Enduring Legacy of Lead Poisoning [SCCMA]

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

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)]

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

More events

Regulations/Policy

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Primary Packaging and the Proposed Ban in the European Union.

A proposal of criteria to support the EU classification on endocrine disruption for the thyroid modality and their application to four data-rich case studies.

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

Cumulative Risk Assessment as the Pathway to Public Health Protection for Behavioral Neurotoxicity.

Identifying Environmental Chemicals Impacting Neurodevelopment using a random Mixture-Based Screening Approach.

Multi-behavioral fingerprints can identify potential modes of action for neuroactive environmental chemicals.

The quest for the perfect “total PFAS” method: how can the total oxidisable precursor (TOP) assay be made reliable?

Development and Cross-Validation of a Zebrafish Quantitative Adverse Outcome Pathway Model on Aromatase Inhibition Leading to Reproductive Dysfunction.

Integrating Transcriptomic and Targeted New Approach Methodologies into a Tiered Framework for Chemical Bioactivity Screening.

Commentaries

Ultra-processed foods: yet another wake-up call

Reviews/Meta-Analyses

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Environmental pollution and cardiovascular health. Challenges and new perspectives. [in English and Spanish]

Exposure to the main Organic Plastic Additives through food contamination.

Endocrine Disruptors and Their Impact on Quality of Life: A Literature Review.

Numerous reviews in Ann Endocriol (Paris):

Phthalates

Insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying Phthalates-induced nephrotoxicity.

A narrative Review of Phthalates: From Environmental Release to Kidney Injury.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

The intestinal toxicity mechanisms of Triclosan and Triclocarban and their possible clinical nutritional intervention mechanisms.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor: a new frontier in male reproductive system.

PFAS

The role of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in cognitive impairment and dementia.

Pesticides

Pesticide Exposures during Pregnancy and Health Outcomes in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Scoping Review of Human Observational Studies.

Exploring the role of polysaccharides in mitigating organ damage caused by pesticide-induced toxicity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of in vivo studies.

Metals/Metalloids

Low-to-moderate arsenic exposure: a global systematic review of cardiovascular disease risks.

Non-occupational exposure to cadmium and breast cancer: A comprehensive and critical review.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Dynamics and Impacts of Microplastics (MPs) and Nanoplastics (NPs) on Ecosystems and Biogeochemical Processes: The Need for Robust Regulatory Frameworks.

Microplastic pollution: a review of specific blood-tissue barrier breaches and health effects.

Comprehensive review of ecological risks and toxicity mechanisms of microplastics in freshwater: Focus on zebrafish as a model organism.

Air Pollution

Air pollution and thyroid function – narrative review.

Human Health Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

Risk of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes after occupational exposure to chemicals during pregnancy – a cohort study of births in Sweden 1994-2014.

Exploratory research on occupational exposures and breast cancer risk in the CECILE study.

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and their associations with serum lipid profiles in the general Korean adult population.

Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals on Fetal Weight: Exposure Monitoring Among Mothers with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Their Fetuses.

Sex-specific associations of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals with serum neurofilament light chain among US adults.

Associations of environmental pollution with pro-oxidant, antioxidant and inflammatory markers in pregnant mothers and newborns.

BPA/Phthalates

Sex-specific effects of prenatal exposure to phthalates and bisphenol A on adverse birth outcomes: Results from The Korean CHildren’s ENvironmental health Study (Ko-CHENS).

Early life phthalate exposure impacts gray matter and white matter volume in infants and young children.

Monocarboxyoctyl phthalate is associated with platelet count: evidence from a large cross-sectional study.

The association between urinary BPA concentrations and urinary incontinence in women.

Parabens/Triclosan/Antimicrobials

Hair as an Indicator of Prolonged Paraben Exposure and Its Relation to Weight Gain in a Sample of Spanish Children: A Proof-of-Concept Study.

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Inverse and Direct Effect of Serum DDE Exposure on the Distribution of Leukocyte Telomere Length in Brazilian Adults: The Pró-Saúde Study.

Examining the relationship between persistent organic pollutants and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional analysis using NHANES data.

Serum polychlorinated biphenyls as a risk factor for MASLD: Exploring the association and underlying mechanisms.

PFAS

Female-specific associations of serum perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances with sex hormonal/insulin dysregulation: An integrated population-based study.

Association Between Perfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Exposure and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Korean Adults: Results From the KoNEHS 2018-2020: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Temporal and cross-sectional associations of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and lipids from 1986 to 2016 – The Tromsø study.

PFAS exposures and child growth: a longitudinal study from fetal life to early childhood.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and microRNA: an epigenome-wide association study in firefighters.

Age-specific associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure and metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional study.

Sex-Specific Associations between Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure and Epigenetic Age: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000.

Legacy, alternative, and precursor PFAS and associations with lipids and liver function biomarkers: results from a cross-sectional analysis of adult females in the MIREC-ENDO study

Flame Retardants

Association between brominated flame retardants and obesity: a mediation analysis through markers of oxidative stress and inflammation.

Pesticides

Proximity to Golf Courses and Risk of Parkinson Disease.

Associations of prenatal glyphosate exposure with child neurodevelopment in a Canadian pregnancy cohort study.

Expression of carboxylesterase and paraoxonase in the placenta and their association with chlorpyrifos exposure during pregnancy

Pesticide exposure induces risks of gestational anemia by maternal gut microbiota: A prospective cohort study.

Biomarkers reflecting the toxicity of neonicotinoid insecticides to the central nervous system.

Metals/Metalloids

Associations between multiple metals exposure and bone mineral density: a population-based study in U.S. children and adolescents.

Correlation between mixed exposure to several heavy metals during early pregnancy and fetal low birth weight: Possible mediating effect of mitochondrial DNA copy number.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Identification and analysis of microplastics in peritumoral and tumor tissues of colorectal cancer.

Air Pollution

Association between Personal Exposure to Household Air Pollution and Glycated Hemoglobin among Women in Rural Areas of Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda: Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial.

Effects of cooking with liquefied petroleum gas or biomass fuels on neurodevelopmental outcomes in pre-school aged children living in Puno, Peru.

The association between indoor biofuel use for cooking and glucose metabolism in adults: A cross-sectional study in Tanzania.

Miscellaneous

Association between urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites and premature menopause: a nationally representative cross-sectional study in the United States.

Laboratory Studies

BPA/Phenols

Perinatal bisphenol A exposure impairs gut microbial colonization: Implications for offspring obesity and neurodevelopment.

Effects of Bisphenol A and Retinoic Acid Exposure on Neuron and Brain Formation: a Study in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Zebrafish Embryos.

Disruption of PPARG Activity and CPT1A Regulation by Bisphenol A: Implications for Hepatic Lipid Metabolism.

The developmental toxicity of bisphenol F exposure on the zebrafish larvae.

Differential susceptibility of Leydig and Sertoli cells to bisphenol A.

Rewiring Estrogen Receptor α into Bisphenol Selective Receptors Using Darwin Assembly-Based Directed Evolution (DADE) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Exploring the toxicological impact of bisphenol a exposure on psoriasis through network toxicology, machine learning, and multi-dimensional bioinformatics analysis.

Acrylamide and bisphenol A: two plastic additives increase platelet activation, via oxidative stress.

Bisphenol a Disrupts Steroidogenesis and Induces Apoptosis in Human Granulosa Cells Cultured In Vitro.

Melatonin reverses bisphenol A-induced toxicity in granulosa cells: Restoration of FSHR and connexin 43 expression.

Phthalates

Effects of phthalate exposure on human ovarian extracellular matrix composition: insights from a 3D spheroid model.

Novel insights into DBP-induced zebrafish liver inflammatory damage: Ferroptosis activating the HMGB1-TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway.

Non-Phthalate Plasticizer Bis(2-ethylhexyl) Sebacate Induces Testis-Ova Formation and Suppresses Reproduction in Japanese Medaka.

Anorexigenic and anxiogenic effects of the plasticiser DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) in goldfish: Involvement of PPAR signalling and feeding-related neuropeptides.

Assessing the toxicological effects and mechanism of plasticizer exposure on inflammatory bowel disease based on network toxicology and molecular docking.

Phthalates Impair Estrogenic Regulation of HIF2α and Extracellular Vesicle Secretion by Human Endometrial Stromal Cells

Persistent Organic Pollutants: PCBs, Dioxin, OCPs

Exposure to short-chain chlorinated paraffins induces mortality in marine medaka larvae through neurotoxicity and oxidative stress.

PFAS

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) disrupts cardiac performance of thick-shell mussel by inserting into the binding pocket of proliferator-activated receptor gamma and thereby causing lipid metabolism disorders.

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances interact with platelet glycoprotein Ibα and exacerbate thrombosis.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure and alcohol-associated liver disease severity in a mouse chronic-binge ethanol feeding model.

Unraveling the molecular mechanisms of PFOA in clear cell renal cell carcinoma through network toxicology and molecular docking strategies.

Integrative network and computational toxicology reveal the molecular mechanisms in PFOA-induced spermatogenic disorder.

Mitigation of PFOA-Induced Developmental Toxicity in Danio rerio by Bacillus subtilis var. natto: Focus on Growth and Ossification.

Flame Retardants

Endocrine disruption of Triphenyl Phosphate via VIT-2 in Caenorhabditis elegans: A comparative analysis with estradiol and 4-hydroxytamoxifen.

Network toxicological and single-cell sequencing reveals the potential mechanisms of psoriatic toxicity of polybrominated diphenyl ethers.

Organotins

Chronic tributyltin exposure induces metabolic disruption in an invertebrate model animal, Lymnaea stagnalis.

Pesticides

Mapping pesticide-induced metabolic alterations in human gut bacteria.

Gestational Chlorpyrifos Exposure Imparts Lasting Alterations to the Rat Somatosensory Cortex.

Chlorpyrifos Inhibits Intestinal Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation at the Acceptable Daily Intake and Disrupts Immune Responses at High Doses.

Weak effects of chlorpyrifos at environmentally relevant concentrations on fitness-related traits in agile frogs.

Protective effects of lupeol on pesticides induced testicular and oxidative damage of male rats.

Sublethal and lethal effects of avermectin on reproductive success, hormonal regulation, and population dynamics of the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis.

Andrographis paniculata aqueous extract exhibits cardioprotective effect against dichlorvos-induced toxicity, a commonly used organophosphate pesticide.

Metals/Metalloids

Cadmium and Lead Induce Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Ovarian Theca Cells: Mechanisms of Oxidative Stress and Bioenergetic Collapse.

Transgenerational Inheritance of Cognitive Deficits Induced by Ancestral Arsenic Exposure in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) via Maternal and Paternal Lineages.

Metformin alleviates cadmium-induced reproductive toxicity by enhancing mitochondrial biosynthesis and epigenetic modifications in female mice.

Helicobacter pylori and Arsenic Co-exposure Intensify Gastric Barrier Damage and Serum Metabolic Disorder.

Antimony induces mitochondria-dependent and ER stress-triggered apoptosis via the oxidative stress-activated JNK signaling pathway in pancreatic islet β-cells.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Polystyrene nanoplastics cause developmental abnormalities, oxidative damage and immune toxicity in early zebrafish development.

Propionic acid/FBP1 is involved in polystyrene nanoplastic-induced cardiac injury via the gut-heart axis.

Exploring the mechanisms of neurotoxic effects from combined exposure to polystyrene and microcystin-LR in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Transgenerational effects of Nanoplastics and bisphenol A on Zebrafish lipid metabolism: Disruption of the gut Microbiota-liver axis via mTOR pathway.

Investigating aquatic biodegradation and changes in the properties of pristine and UV-irradiated microplastics from conventional and biodegradable agricultural plastics.

Nanoplastics Chronic Toxicity in Mice: Disturbing the Homeostasis of Tryptophan Metabolism in Gut-Lung-Microbiota Axis.

Aging characteristics of polylatic acid microplastics and their adsorption on hydrophilic organic pollutants: mechanistic investigations and theoretical calculations.

Chronic exposure to polyethylene terephthalate microplastics induces gut microbiota dysbiosis and disordered hepatic lipid metabolism in mice.

Miscellaneous

Gestational Exposure to Phenanthrene Induces Superfluous Fibrosis and Calcification and Metabolic Imbalance of the Placenta in Mice.

6PPD and 6PPD Quinone Induce Endometrial Cell Dysfunction via Activating ERα and GPER at Human-Relevant Levels.

Exposure/Environment Studies

Numerous Chemicals/Mixtures

A Machine Learning-Based Clustering Analysis to Explore Bisphenol A and Phthalate Exposure from Medical Devices in Infants with Congenital Heart Defects.

Bio-monitoring of endocrine disrupting chemicals in human serum: insights from a study in Central India.

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes- Plastic, the new threat?

Beyond phthalates: Investigating non-phthalate plasticizers in indoor environments-A nationwide survey from China.

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs and PFAS in global surface waters: A meta-analysis-based review.

BPA/Phenols

Global occurrence of bisphenol compounds in breast milk and infant formula: A systematic review.

PFAS

The Forever Pollution Project: exposing the real cost of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution on the environment, science, and politics with cross-border investigation.

Diet quality in relation to serum perfluoroalkyl substance concentrations in Canadian preadolescents.

Exposure to Legacy Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Diet and Drinking Water in California Adults, 2018-2020.

High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for Identification, Quantification, and Risk Assessment of 40 PFAS Migrating from Microwave Popcorn Bags.

Occurrence and human exposure assessment of PFAS in river and groundwater around a closed fluorochemical plant in China.

Target and Suspect Screening of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Consumer Products using Ion Mobility Separation High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (IMS-HRMS).

The effects of perfluoroalkyl substance pollution on microbial community and key metabolic pathways in the Pearl River Estuary.

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substance profiles revealed by targeted and non-targeted screening in European Starling eggs from sites Across Canada.

A comparative analysis of PFAS in archive and fresh soil samples in England and implications for large-scale surveys.

Pesticides

Neonicotinoid pesticide residues in bottled water: a worldwide assessment of distribution and human exposure risks.

Pesticides Residues in Pet Food: A Market-Based Study on Prevalence and Toxicological Implications.

Microplastics/Nanomaterials

Electric forces can enhance the emission of microplastics into air.

Where Is All the Plastic? How Microplastic Partitions across Environmental Compartments within a Large Pelagic In-Lake Mesocosm.

Miscellaneous

The I nvisible Footprint of Climbing Shoes: High Exposure to Rubber Additives in Indoor Facilities.

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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

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: Corporate drivers of disease: Exploring the UCSF industry documents library
by Sarah Howard on May 9, 2025 at 6:16 pm
This May 29 webinar features UCSF's Center to End Corporate Harm, launched earlier this year to bring together scientists to more systematically study the mechanisms and strategies corporations use to delay and prevent regulation of their health harming products. Sponsored by the Collaborative for Health and Environment (CHE) and UCSF's Program on Reproductive Health and Environment (PRHE).
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.

EHN EHN

Pew hiring staff for new EDC program
by Sarah Howard on May 10, 2025 at 11:33 am
Pew Charitable Trusts has a new project that aims to measurably reduce Americans’ exposure to harmful endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Five positions are open, including a Director, Public Policy Project Director, Science Project Director, and more. Application deadlines are in May and June, 2025. More info.
Flame retardant chemicals linked to continued health harms 50 years after exposure
by Environmental Health Sciences Staff on May 9, 2025 at 5:33 pm
Fifty years after the widespread contamination of animal feed left 6.5 million Michigan residents exposed to polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) flame retardants, a new study published in Environmental Health Perspectives examines the chemical’s long-term health impacts over multiple generations. “The experience of this unique cohort adds to the growing evidence that effects of EDCs [endocrine disrupting chemicals] – and environmental exposures generally – depend both on the dose and timing of exposure … with the most damaging effects resulting from exposures during fetal development and before puberty.”
Trump’s NIH blocks U.S. scientists from channeling funds to overseas research partners
by EHN Curators on May 8, 2025 at 11:58 am
The National Institutes of Health will stop U.S. scientists from directing federal grant money to international collaborators, threatening joint efforts to tackle global health challenges like malaria and childhood cancer. Roni Caryn Rabin reports for The New York Times.

EHN EHN

Op-ed: To curb chronic disease in Americans, the FDA needs to assert regulatory control over toxic chemicals in our food
by Frederick vom Saal et. al on May 15, 2025 at 11:08 am
Editor's note: This op-ed was written by Frederick vom Saal and 15 co-authors. The full list of co-authors, their affiliations, and their contact information is included below. As senior environmental health researchers and physicians, we are united in our concern about the escalating prevalence of chronic diseases in the United States. To stop the increase of these chronic disease epidemics, it is essential to change the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s current lack of regulatory oversight of toxic chemicals in food.
FDA moves to eliminate fluoride tablets for children, citing gut health and safety concerns
by EHN Curators on May 15, 2025 at 10:23 am
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to phase out ingestible fluoride supplements for children, aligning with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s push to limit fluoride use over health concerns. Matthew Perrone reports for The Associated Press.
An EPA pivot on PFAS raises alarm over public health protections
by EHN Curators on May 14, 2025 at 11:45 am
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is backing off parts of a major drinking water rule targeting toxic PFAS chemicals, raising fears of weaker protections for millions of Americans. Amudalat Ajasa reports for The Washington Post.