Isolated and Mixture Exposures to Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals: Does this Really Matter?

Endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs) represent a critical area in environmental health, given their ubiquitous presence and profound ability to interfere with hormonal regulation across numerous species. Recent decades have witnessed increasing concern regarding the health implications of EDC exposure, driven by the surging global production of synthetic chemicals and the detection of complex chemical mixtures in diverse ecosystems. Scientific investigations have established that EDCs can disrupt hormone synthesis, metabolism, and signaling, precipitating wide-ranging effects on metabolic, reproductive, and cardiovascular health. Notably, research highlights the amplification of risk when individuals are exposed to mixtures –rather than single compounds– reflecting real-world exposures that complicate both risk assessment and regulatory actions. Gaps remain fully characterizing the long-term, low-dose, and mixture effects, as well as the critical windows of susceptibility, epigenetic, and transgenerational consequences. Emerging pollutants such as microplastics further compound these challenges and necessitate renewed scientific inquiry.This Research Topic aims to advance the current understanding of how exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals –either in isolation or as mixtures– impacts physiological functions in humans and wildlife. Specifically, it encourages multidisciplinary studies that elucidate molecular mechanisms, cellular targets, and systemic consequences of EDC exposure, with a special emphasis on metabolic and reproductive dysfunctions and the growing global burden of cardiometabolic diseases. By integrating findings across experimental, clinical, epidemiological, and computational landscapes, the goal is to clarify the interactions between chemical exposures and health outcomes and to identify critical windows and mechanisms underpinning susceptibility. Special attention is given to emerging contaminants such as micro- and nanoplastics, the role of gene-environment interactions, and advances in mechanistic and risk modeling.This Research Topic broadly covers both isolated and mixture exposures to EDCs, in humans and non-human species, but confines itself to mechanistic, pathological, epidemiological, and regulatory aspects rather than novel chemical synthesis. To gather further insights into physiological, environmental, and risk assessment boundaries, we welcome original research, reviews, and perspectives articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Mechanisms underlying metabolic and reproductive disruption from EDCs• Health effects of real-world exposure to EDC mixtures• Emerging EDCs: microplastics, nanoplastics, and novel pollutants• Critical periods of susceptibility: developmental, perinatal, and transgenerational effects• Epigenetic modifications and heritable consequences of EDC exposure• Advancements in exposure assessment, risk modeling, and regulatory policy• Biomonitoring strategies and tools for human and wildlife populations Topic editors: Jones B Graceli, Glaecir Roseni Mundstock Dias, Leandro Miranda-Alves Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78701/isolated-and-mixture-exposures-to-endocrine-disruptor-chemicals-does-this-really-matter