Paraben Exposure in the General Taiwanese Population: Reference Values, Personal Care Products, and Cumulative Risk...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Toxicology
• Public Health

Background:

• Parabens are common preservatives in consumer products.
• Concerns exist regarding their endocrine-disrupting properties and adverse health effects.
• Understanding background exposure levels is crucial for risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine background urinary concentrations of four parabens in the general Taiwanese population.
• To establish 95th percentile reference values (RV95s) for these parabens.
• To explore correlations between exposure and demographic factors or product use.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 1967 participants from the Taiwan Environmental Survey for Toxicants (2013-2016).
• Quantification of urinary methylparaben (MeP), ethylparaben (EtP), propylparaben (PrP), and butylparaben (BuP) using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
• Analysis of demographic data and personal care product usage via questionnaires.

Main Results:

• Methylparaben (MeP) showed the highest geometric mean concentration (357 μg/L), followed by propylparaben (PrP) (89.3 μg/L).
• Urinary paraben concentrations were higher in adults than in minors.
• Taiwan's RV95s for urinary parabens were notably higher than in other countries, with 55.4% of participants exceeding a Hazard Index (HI) threshold of 1, primarily driven by PrP.

Conclusions:

• Background urinary paraben levels in Taiwan are significant and higher than in many other regions.
• Personal care product use is correlated with elevated urinary paraben concentrations.
• Further investigation into the health implications of paraben exposure in Taiwan is necessary.