Urinary concentrations of parabens in young children - A human biomonitoring study from north Rhine Westphalia, Germany

摘要

Background: Parabens are alkyl esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid and are widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in personal care products but also in food, beverages, food, and pharmaceutical preparations. Although they are considered to be slightly toxic to humans, the use of parabens has raised concern due to their possible endocrine disrupting activities as demonstrated in several in vivo and in vitro studies. Aim: Only a few data are available on the magnitude of children's exposure to chemicals present in many consumer products. The aim of this study was to determine concentrations and profiles of parabens in young children from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. These new biomonitoring data were compared to previous data from urine samples collected in 2011/2012 as part of the LUPE III project (Lander- untersuchungsprogramm). Methods: Nine Parabens were measured in spot urine specimens from 255 young children aged from 27 to 98 months. Samples were collected between December 2014 and Mai 2015. Results: Among the nine parabens analyzed, methylparaben (MeP) and ethylparaben (EtP) were the parabens found in most urine samples. They were detected in concentrations above the limit of quantification (LOQ) in 100 % (MeP) and 86 % (EtP) of the urine samples. n-Propylparaben (n-PrP) was above the LOQ in 38 % of the samples, iso-butylparaben, benzylparaben and n-butylparaben were only detectable in < 6 % of the samples. Iso- propylparaben, pentylparaben and heptylparaben could not be quantified in any of the urine samples. The mean concentration of MeP was 159 μg/L, followed by n-PrP (10.4 μg/L) and EtP (3.18 μg/L). The maximal paraben levels found were 7700 ug/L for MeP, 699 μg/Lfor n-PrP and 189 μg/L for EtP. A significant decrease in paraben concentrations for MeP and n-PrP was found between our study population examined 2011/2012 and 2014/2015. The median concentration for MeP and n-PrP decreased over a 3-year period by 85 % and 70 %, respectively. The measured median urinary concentrations for MeP (6.91 μg/L), n-PrP (< 0.50 ug/L) and EtP (1.02 μg/L) in our study population were in range with results reported by several European and North American studies surveying children in various age groups. Conclusion: Parabens (in particular MeP, EtP; n-PrP) were frequently found in urine from young children indicating ubiquitous exposure to these compounds. We found decreasing mean urinary concentrations for MeP and n-PrP over a period of 3-4 years, which probably reflects a reduced use of these compounds in personal care products.