Urinary paraben concentrations among children from the northernmost of Thailand: Cross-sectional study for exposure and health risks

Parabens are widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in foods, personal care, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products. The metabolization of parabens in the human body is excreted via urine in free plus conjugated forms. Currently, the prevalent use of parabens has increased alarms about health risks linked with endocrine disrupting effects. A cross-sectional study was used to gather information from participants in Chiang Rai province. The purposes of the study are to investigate paraben concentrations in urine, to analyze the correlation of urinary parabens, and to assess health risks among children in pre-schools and primary schools. Overall, 140 first morning void urine samples were collected and measured by LC-MS/MS to determine methyl paraben (MeP), ethyl paraben (EtP), and propyl paraben (PrP). The detection rate and geometric mean without adjusting and adjusting urine specific gravity of MeP, EtP, and PrP in overall samples were (100.00 %; 27.94 µg/L; 30.14 µg/L), (46.43 %; 0.77 µg/L; 0.83 µg/L), and (97.86 %; 2.80 µg/L; 3.02 µg/L), respectively. Almost three urinary paraben concentrations in pre-schools were higher than in primary schools. The highest significant positive correlation of parabens (p < 0.01) was MeP and PrP both in pre-schools and primary schools. The geometric mean of estimated daily intake (EDI _urine) for MeP, EtP, and PrP were 6.27, 0.22, and 1.09 µg/kg-bw/day, respectively. The estimated daily intake and health risks indicated PrP led to potential human health risks at 5.70 % of overall samples. Additionally, Thai children are widely exposed to parabens and relatively higher PrP and MeP exposure than the concentration reported in several countries. This is the first study assessing urinary parabens in Thailand. The finding demonstrates that children’s exposure to parabens in the study areas would impact their health, so there should be confirmation for further management.