Associations of endocrine disrupting chemicals with renal function in older individuals

Since the 20th century, with the development of industry, plastic has become one of the most popular and widely used materials. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are used in a wide range of products (Pagoni et al., 2022; Guo et al., 2014), it is mainly used in plastics manufacturing to improve industrial efficiency. EDCs are frequently used in industrial production as plasticizers or antioxidants, enhancing the flexibility, ductility, and durability of plastic products. They are capable of bonding with the polymeric groups of plastics, thereby reducing the force between these groups and subsequently increasing plasticity and toughness (Ding et al., 2023; Wang et al., 2023). However, due to their potential toxicity and carcinogenicity, these substances were designated as priority pollutants by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as early as 1980s and their use was restricted (Guo et al., 2011; Fasihnia et al., 2020). Because of the chemical properties of EDCs, they are cannot easily combined with the plastic product, As a result, they may be directly or indirectly released into the environment during their manufacture, use, and disposal. Extensive research has demonstrated that the presence of these substances can be detected not only in air, dust, soil, and water (Wang et al., 2017; Hung et al., 2021; Ma et al., 2022; Ajay et al., 2021), but also in human urine, serum, amniotic fluid, and nail, etc (Stuchlik Fiserova et al., 2022; Li et al., 2022; Giovanoulis et al., 2016; Katsikantami et al., 2020). Therefore, the potential impact of exposure to EDCs on population health has prompted a great deal of concern.