Category: Sex-Differences

Video

Toxic Threads: Examining Gendered Health Risks in the Textile Sector

2026

What does gender-responsive chemical management actually look like in practice? In the textile sector, chemical risks are still too often treated as gender-neutral. They are not. From exposure pathways and…

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Video

New Science on Neonicotinoids: Reproductive & neurodevelopmental health effects

2026

Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides that are used widely in the US and globally. They are known to be a major contributor to pollinator declines. Recent scientific evidence shows…

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Video

The Plastic Detox – Documentary

2026

The Plastic Detox is an eye-opening journey into the hidden dangers of plastic in our homes. When six couples embark on a plastic detox within their homes, it changes their…

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Journal Article

Prenatal Exposure to Imidacloprid Affects Cognition and Anxiety-Related Behaviors in Male and Female CD-1 Mice

2025

Neonicotinoid pesticides, including imidacloprid (IMI), are widely used in agriculture and as household insecticides. IMI displays strong affinity for insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs); however, neonicotinoids still partially bind to…

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Journal Article

Environmental Toxicant Exposure and Depressive Symptoms

2024

Importance Recognizing associations between exposure to common environmental toxicants and mental disorders such as depression is crucial for guiding targeted mechanism research and the initiation of disease prevention efforts. Objectives…

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Journal Article

Why gender matters for addressing chemical pollution

2024

At a time when chemical management and governance are high on scientific and political agendas, we call on the scientific community to integrate gender into research on chemical pollution. Chemicals…

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Journal Article

Occupational Health Injuries and Illnesses Among Women Workers in the Chemical Industry: A Scoping Review

2024

Background: The number of women in the chemical industry has recently increased due to more women pursuing science careers. It is necessary, therefore, to analyze the emerging health risks for…

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Article

‘Forever chemical’ exposure linked to higher cancer odds in women

2023

Women exposed to several widely used chemicals appear to face increased odds for ovarian and other types of cancers, including a doubling of odds for melanoma, according to new research…

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Journal Article

Endocrine disrupting chemicals and male fertility: from physiological to molecular effects

2023

The deleterious effects of chemical or non-chemical endocrine disruptors (EDs) on male fertility potential is well documented but still not fully elucidated. For example, the detection of industrial chemicals’ metabolites…

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Journal Article

Lysmeral Exposure in Children and Adolescences Participating in the German Environmental Survey (2012–2015): Integrating Sex/Gender into Analysis

2022

Comprehensive consideration of the biological and social diversities of sex and gender as well as their interdependencies is mostly missing in human biomonitoring (HBM) studies. Using the INGER sex/gender concept…

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Journal Article

Association between chemical mixtures and female fertility in women undergoing assisted reproduction in Sweden and Estonia

2022

Objective: Women of reproductive age are exposed to ubiquitous chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which have potential endocrine disrupting properties and might affect fertility.…

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Journal Article

The Inclusion of Sex and Gender Beyond the Binary in Toxicology

2022

The inclusion of sex as a biologic variable is critical to understanding how individuals’ health and disease outcomes vary. When reading scientific papers, I often examine whether the study was…

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Video

45min for gender in sectors – Webinar 1: Gender & Chemicals in Toxicology

2021

WEBINAR 1 – Gender & Chemicals in Toxicology Guest speaker: Dr Cinzia La Rocca, Toxicology Unit – Center for Gender-Specific Medicine, Instituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome – Italy The webinar…

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Journal Article

Sex and Gender Differences in Occupational Hazard Exposures: a Scoping Review of the Recent Literature

2021

Purpose of Review Comparative research on sex and/or gender differences in occupational hazard exposures is necessary for effective work injury and illness prevention strategies. This scoping review summarizes the peer-reviewed…

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Journal Article

Pesticide exposure and gender discrepancy in breast cancer

2021

OBJECTIVE It is biologically plausible that occupational and environmental pesticide exposure may contribute to breast cancer risk. Persistent chemical compounds, such as pesticides, tend to be lipophilic and are detected…

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Case Study

Gender, Chemicals, Waste – Case study from Kyrgyzstan

2021

Between 2019 and 2021, WECF and its partners in Kyrgyzstan (BIOM, EKOIS ) studied the gender impacts of hazardous chemicals, on request of the UN Environment secretariat of the chemicals…

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Journal Article

Troubling Figures: Endocrine Disruptors, Intersex Frogs, and the Logics of Environmental Science

2020

This essay examines the figure of the pesticide-exposed intersex frog, a canary in the coal mine for public endocrinological health. Through feminist science studies and critical discourse analysis, I explore…

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Journal Article

Sex and Gender Analysis of Toxicity and Epidemiology Data on Environmental Chemicals in the Three Major Toxicology Databases

2019

Background: As sex and gender are important considerations in the assessment of toxic chemicals, we investigated whether sex and gender issues have been adequately considered in toxicological databases. Materials and…

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Journal Article

Cosmetics, chemical exposure and gender differences

2018

The use of cosmetic products has always played an important role in human society, and has reflected the social and cultural changes it has undergone throughout history. The natural ingredients…

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Journal Article

Cleaning at Home and at Work in Relation to Lung Function Decline and Airway Obstruction

2018

Rationale: Cleaning tasks may imply exposure to chemical agents with potential harmful effects to the respiratory system, and increased risk of asthma and respiratory symptoms among professional cleaners and in…

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Journal Article

Gender differences in pesticide use knowledge, risk awareness and practices in Chinese farmers

2017

This study investigates gender differences in the pesticide use knowledge, risk awareness and practices of farmers in Anqiu County, China. A total of 452 male and 178 female farmers from…

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Journal Article

Developmental neurotoxicants and the vulnerable male brain: a systematic review of suspected neurotoxicants that disproportionally affect males

2017

The prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs), including autism spectrum disorder, attention‑deficit/hyperactivity disorder, tic disorder, obsessive‑compulsive disorder, and emotional disturbances, has increased notably in the past few decades. To date, debate…

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Article

Methylmercury and Human Embryonic Development

2016

Methylmercury (MeHg) is an organic form of mercury that can damage the developing brains of human fetuses. Women who consume methylmercury during pregnancy can bear children who have neurological issues…

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Journal Article

Gender differences in health information behaviour: a Finnish population-based survey

2013

Narrowing the gaps in health outcomes, including those between men and women, has been a pronounced goal on the agenda of the Finnish health authorities since the mid1980s. But still…

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