Assessment of human parabens exposure and health risk based on global biomonitoring data

Parabens are among the most prevalent preservatives utilized in daily life. According to studies, parabens are endocrine disruptors that may be harmful to human health. This study used urine (N = 370,460) and blood (N = 19,521) data from 203 publications from 29 countries to calculate the global estimated daily intakes (EDIs) and grouped EDIs (EDI_Gs) of parabens in different countries and populations, assess the global exposure trends of parabens from 2000 to 2024, and determine the potential health risks of parabens exposure. Global EDIs for methyl -, ethyl -, propyl -, and butyl parabens were 8.00, 1.06, 2.50, and 0.27 μg/kg bw/day in urine, and 0.25, 0.01, 0.19, and 0.01 μg/kg bw/day in blood, respectively. The EDI_Gs of parabens exhibited significant variations across countries. Compared with the adults, children and pregnant women exhibited higher parabens exposure levels. The hazard quotients of all countries were less than 1; however, potential health risks could not be ignored. Globally, parabens exposure demonstrated a consistent decline from 2000 to 2024, as evidenced by the decrease in methylparaben (MeP) exposure from 12.48 μg/kg bw/day (pre-2005) to 4.97 μg/kg bw/day (post-2020). To our knowledge, this study is the first to evaluate overall parabens exposure levels using published global biomonitoring data, addressing a gap in parabens risk assessment and providing significant insights into the potential health effects of parabens exposure on humans.