Endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in breast milk and infant urine up to age 6 months

Article excerpt

Researchers have detected endocrine-disrupting chemicals, substances that interfere with hormone function, in the breast milk of nursing mothers and in the urine of infants up to six months old. The findings come from a study presented at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Chicago. The discovery raises questions about early-life exposure to these chemicals during a critical window of development. EDCs, found in many consumer products and industrial materials, have been linked to reproductive and metabolic problems in animal studies. The research underscores how infants absorb these compounds through breast milk, one of their primary nutritional sources during the first months of life.