Late 1800s- First Synthetic Chemicals Created

1872 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) synthesized by German chemist Eugen Baumann.

Baumann, E. (1872)“Ueber einige Vinylverbindungen” (On some vinyl compounds), Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie, 163: 308–322.

1874 DDT synthesized by Austrian chemist Othmar Zeidler.

1876 Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) synthesized by German chemist Oscar Doebner.

Doebner, O.G. (1876) “Constitution der Diphenyldisulfosäure und ihrer Umwandlungsprodukte,” Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft. 9 (1): 129–131.

1891 Bisphenol A (BPA) synthesized by Russian chemist Aleksandr Dianin.

Reported in a scientific paper in 1905 by Theodor Zincke from Marburg University, Germany.

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Lou Guillette Jr. Memorial Symposium
by Sarah Howard on February 14, 2025 at 3:36 pm
The agenda is now available for the March 14-15 Lou Guillette Jr. Memorial Symposium, hosted by HEEDS, at the University of Florida. It will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Guillette, gather together his trainees and colleagues, and focus on the endocrine disruption research that Lou made famous. Information and agenda here.
North Carolina EDC working group 5th annual meeting
by Sarah Howard on February 13, 2025 at 12:46 pm
On Friday, April 25, 2025, Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS) is hosting the 5th Annual Meeting of EDC-NC, its North Carolina working group on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Attendance is open to anyone and the cost is free. More information.
Webinar: Ultrashort-chain PFAS: the global threat of trifluoroacetic acid
by Sarah Howard on February 11, 2025 at 4:41 pm
This Feb. 19, 2025 webinar features Dr. Hans Peter Arp discussing TFA, a degradation product of many refrigerants and a widespread contaminant in the environment. Shorter-chain PFAS have been assumed to be less hazardous than longer-chain PFAS, but widespread exposures have not been taken into account in making this assessment. Sponsored by the EDC Strategies Partnership.

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HEEDS publishes timeline on the history of the EDC field
by Sarah Howard on February 14, 2025 at 3:30 pm
Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS) now provides a comprehensive history of the endocrine disruptor scientific field via an online timeline. Complete with citations, it covers industrial and scientific developments from the 1800s until today. Let us know what you think!
Natural antioxidants in food may help reduce microplastics' reproductive harm
by Katherine McMahon,Sarah Howard on February 13, 2025 at 7:14 pm
According to a recent review published in Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis, anthocyanins - a plant compound responsible for the vibrant colors in fruits and flowers - may counteract some of the harmful reproductive impacts of micro- and nanoplastic (MNP) exposure. “The accumulation of [MNPs] contaminants across ecosystems raises significant concerns for human health due to their potential dispersion within the human body through respiratory, integumentary, and digestive systems.”
Microplastics may disrupt blood flow in the brain, study finds
by EHN Curators on February 13, 2025 at 8:47 am
Tiny plastic particles can accumulate in brain blood vessels, creating blockages that may reduce blood flow and impair motor function, according to new research in mice. Tom Perkins reports for The Guardian.

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“A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”: Independent scientists advocate for an effective Global Plastics Treaty
by Sarah Howard,Katherine McMahon on February 18, 2025 at 5:11 pm
Members of the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, over 70 of whom attended the 5th negotiation session for the UN Plastics Treaty (INC5) in November, argue in a new article published in Cambridge Prisms: Plastics that the treaty must address the full life cycle of plastics and include production reduction targets. “It is critical that the treaty negotiations continue to be informed by independent science, to better ensure that when consensus is reached we have a global approach leading to reduced negative impacts from plastics across their entire life cycle."
Opinion: RFK Jr.’s disinformation is a rallying cry for women in STEM
by Kathryn Rodgers on February 14, 2025 at 7:58 pm
I have never been so motivated and grateful to be a woman in science as while watching Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Senate Finance Committee nomination hearing. As an environmental health researcher, I know there is strong evidence that industrial and commercial chemicals are linked to increasing rates of neurodevelopmental disorders, cancer, asthma, and many other chronic diseases. However, RFK Jr. has clearly demonstrated he has very little understanding of public health, science, or women.
California law is pushing companies to ditch toxic chemicals
by EHN Curators on February 14, 2025 at 2:52 pm
California’s landmark warning-label law may be doing what critics said was impossible — getting companies to pull dangerous chemicals from their products. Hiroko Tabuchi reports for The New York Times.