Summary article of 2012 Berlin low dose workshop shares workshop proceedings, consensus and disagreements, and shows proposed next steps required to advance risk assessment of EDCs
New BPA review confirms low dose effects
BPA to affect humans at much lower doses than previously thought, new review updates 2007 review of low dose effects and comes to stronger conclusions
UNEA: 175 nations agree to develop plastic pollution treaty
Fifth meeting of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi unanimously agrees to the development of a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution; development process including consultations to begin by end of 2022, treaty expected by the end of 2024
Effective plastics treaty needs to include investments in reduce, reuse, and redesign, scientists highlight
Reveal financial disbalance in Zero Draft to favor recycling over reduction, redesign, and reuse; prone to result in even more plastic waste generation; call for finance shift towards upstream, midstream solutions such as clear and strong extended producer responsibility obligations in the global plastics treaty
BPA: New window of susceptibility identified
Exposure during pregnancy affected mouse mothers’ glucose metabolism later in life
Measuring plastic particles released from food packaging and in human lungs
Scientists investigate plastic particles released from store-bought food packaging as well as human and mice health impacts of exposure; report single-use plastic products release >1012 nano-sized particles during use; find microplastics to suppress lysosomal activity in mouse macrophages; first detection of microplastics within human lung tissue samples; in vitro neurotoxicity study finds microplastics negatively impact human forebrain organoid development
Special issue on EDCs and behavior
Special issue of peer-reviewed journal Hormones and Behavior focuses on endocrine disrupting chemicals’ effects on behavior; articles address molecular mechanisms, animal studies and epidemiological observations, discuss specific chemicals including BPA, triclosan, PBDEs, PFASs
AOP-based computational models for regulatory toxicology
Review article by EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre and collaborators discusses development and use of computational prediction models for regulatory toxicology and how it can be supported by the Adverse Outcome Pathways framework
Evidence on BPA’s ubiquity and low-dose effects
New study reviews and substantiates ubiquitous occurrence of bisphenol A in the environment and adverse health effects from low-dose exposures to it
Are ‘safe levels’ safe?
Article questions effectiveness of current chemical risk assessment in protecting public health; explains non-monotonic dose response and why it should be considered in assessing chemicals’ toxicity