Urinary parabens in adults from South China: Implications for human exposure and health risks

Parabens are a kind of preservatives widely used in cosmetic and personal care products and ubiquitously detected in the environment. However, little is known on human exposure to these chemicals. Our study mainly investigated the urinary parabens in adults from South China to evaluate the cumulative risk of paraben exposure. A total of 562 urine samples were collected from adult workers for the determination of methyl paraben (MeP), ethyl paraben (EtP), propyl paraben (PrP), butyl paraben, and benzyl parabens. High detection frequencies (≥98%) were observed for MeP, EtP, and PrP with median concentrations of 8.88, 5.11, and 1.44 μg/L, respectively. Urinary parabens was 4.5–46.2 fold higher in urine of females than those in males. Urinary MeP was associated with alcohol drinking and a history of tumor, while urinary PrP was negatively associated with education levels of the subjects. There were not significant associations between urinary concentrations of parabens and body mass index, which indicated that obesity was not associated with paraben exposure. Also, parabens did not correlate with human dietary habits. Although the total estimated daily intake (TEDI) of the major compound MeP and EtP in adult workers was lower than the acceptable daily intake (ADI), the TEDI of PrP exceed the ADI for a very few subjects, especially for females and low-educated ones, suggesting potential health risks. [Display omitted] •Urinary parabens from workers in a nuclear power plant were investigated.•Urinary MeP was associated with alcohol drinking and a history of tumor.•Urinary PrP was negatively associated with workers' education levels.•Obesity was not associated with paraben exposure.•Potential health risks were suggested for females and low-educated workers.