Urinary parabens, bisphenol A and triclosan in primiparas from Shenzhen, China: Implications for exposure and health risks

The usage of parabens, bisphenol A and triclosan in diverse consumer products is in widespread. Nevertheless, there are limited data concerning exposure to these chemicals in human being, especially in primiparas. Biomonitoring of chemicals in primiparas is useful for the estimation of chemical exposure risks for both primiparas and their offspring. This study aims to investigate urinary levels of parabens, bisphenol A and triclosan of 84 primiparas from Shenzhen, China and to evaluate their potential health risks. Methyl, ethyl, and n-propyl parabens bisphenol A and triclosan exhibited high detection rates (DRs) (> 97%) in urine samples, suggesting that primiparas are exposed to them widely. The median concentrations of methyl, ethyl, and n-propyl parabens, bispenol A and triclosan in urine were 2.14, 4.10, 0.46, 1.30 and 3.00 µg/L, respectively. Ethyl paraben was the predominant paraben accounting for nearly half of Σ3parabens (The sum concentrations of methyl, ethyl, n-propyl parabens). Positive associations with significance (p < 0.05) were found between the usage of plastic containers and urinary concentrations of ethyl paraben or BPA, indicating plastic containers might be an important factor influencing primipara exposure to these two chemicals. Urinary concentrations of methyl paraben were positively associated (p < 0.05) with the time of computer use by participant, suggesting that indoor dust might constitute an important source of parabens. The estimated daily intakes of parabens, bisphenol A and triclosan contrasted with the acceptable daily intakes in a comparatively low level. The hazard quotients (HQs) of these chemicals were all less than 1, suggesting no health risks for primiparas from South China.