Occurrence of parabens in outdoor environments: Implications for human exposure assessment

Parabens (PBs) are widely used as preservatives in food, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PCPs). Due to their potential characteristics, similar to endocrine-disrupting compounds, their safety in our daily products and frequent exposure to human health have become public concerns. Nevertheless, little information is available about the occurrence of PBs in outdoor environments and their implications for human exposure. In this study, seven pairs of gas- and particle-phase air samples and 48 soil samples from Harbin City, China, were collected for the analysis of eight typical PBs (including methyl-paraben, ethyl-paraben, propyl-paraben, isopropyl-paraben, butyl-paraben, isobutyl-paraben, benzyl-paraben, and heptyl-paraben), which have been frequently selected as target compounds in previous studies. Concentrations of Sigma(8)PBs in outdoor air samples were 253-1540 pg/m(3) with a median of 555 pg/m(3). The results of the gas-particle partitioning indicated that PBs had not reached equilibrium between the gas phase and particle phase. Concentrations of Sigma(8)PBs in the soil samples were

Automated summary

This study investigated the occurrence of PBs in outdoor environments in Harbin City, China, and found their presence in both air and soil samples. The results indicated that PBs had not reached equilibrium between the gas phase and particle phase.