Predictors and Variability of Urinary Paraben Concentrations in Men and Women, Including before and during Pregnancy

Abstract

Background: Parabens are suspected endocrine disruptors and ubiquitous preservatives used in personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and foods. No studies have assessed the variability of parabens in women, including during pregnancy.Objective: We evaluated predictors and variability of urinary paraben concentrations.Methods: We measured urinary concentrations of methyl (MP), propyl (PP), and butyl paraben (BP) among couples from a fertility center. Mixed-effects regression models were fit to examine demographic predictors of paraben concentrations and to calculate intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).Results: Between 2005 and 2010, we collected 2,721 spot urine samples from 245 men and 408 women. The median concentrations were 112 µg/L (MP), 24.2 µg/L (PP), and 0.70 µg/L (BP). Urinary MP and PP concentrations were 4.6 and 7.8 times higher in women than men, respectively, and concentrations of both MP and PP were 3.8 times higher in African Americans than Caucasians. MP and PP concentrations we CI re slightly more variable in women (ICC = 0.42, 0.43) than men (ICC = 0.54, 0.51), and were weakly correlated between partners (r = 0.27–0.32). Among 129 pregnant women, urinary paraben concentrations were 25–45% lower during pregnancy than before pregnancy, and MP and PP concentrations were more variable (ICCs of 0.38 and 0.36 compared with 0.46 and 0.44, respectively).Conclusions: Urinary paraben concentrations were more variable in women compared with men, and during pregnancy compared with before pregnancy. However, results for this study population suggest that a single urine sample may reasonably represent an individual’s exposure over several months, and that a single sample collected during pregnancy may reasonably classify gestational exposure.

Temporal variability of urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites, parabens and benzophenone-3 in a Belgian adult population

“…First of all, the majority of the available studies investigating the intra-individual variability of phthalate, paraben and BP3 biomarkers have been carried out in some US populations (Hauser et al, 2004;Smith et al, 2012;Teitelbaum et al, 2008;Braun et al, 2012;Peck et al, 2010;Townsend et al, 2013;Adibi et al, 2008;Hoppin et al, 2002;Marcus et al, 2010;Preau et al, 2010;Baird et al, 2010;Meeker et al, 2011;Meeker et al, 2012;Philippat et al, 2013;Ferguson et al, 2014;Watkins et al, 2014) and only very few were performed outside the USA, for instance in Puerto Rico (Meeker et al, 2013;Cantonwine et al, 2014), Canada (Fisher et al, 2015), Asia (Suzuki et al, 2009;Engel et al, 2014) or in the European Union Koch et al, 2014;Fromme et al, 2007). The level of exposure, the distribution and the correlations between pollutants have already been demonstrated to vary from one country to another, highlighting the dependence of local commercial applications or the legislations in force on the sources and pathways of exposure to these pollutants (Dewalque et al, 2014a;Suzuki et al, 2009;Shirai et al, 2013).…”

“…These GM were then classified according to the GM-specific tertiles into 3 groups. All associations between the predicting (surrogate sample) and the observed exposure (GM) were aggregated into a 3 Â 3 table which was then reduced by summing low and medium groups to form a contingency table (2 Â 2) in order to calculate sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (PPV; (Hauser et al, 2004;Smith et al, 2012;Braun et al, 2012)). As previously mentioned , the drawback of this analysis is that the observed and predicted values are not independent.…”

“…However, since human exposure occurs daily, the question of the temporal representativeness of the urinary biomarker measurements could be raised (Dewalque et al, 2014a). To provide an answer, several studies have been carried out to assess the within-person variability of phthalates, parabens and BP3 biomarkers (Hauser et al, 2004;Smith et al, 2012;Teitelbaum et al, 2008;Frederiksen et al, 2013;Koch et al, 2014;Fromme et al, 2007). However, to our knowledge, only a few studies were performed in European countries Koch et al, 2014;Fromme et al, 2007).…”

The associations of triclosan and paraben exposure with allergen sensitization and wheeze in children

“…Prior studies suggest that repeated urinary paraben and triclosan concentrations are only modestly correlated, suggesting the potential for exposure misclassification. 25,26 In large enough sample sizes and assuming nondifferential exposure misclassification, a single urinary measure of triclosan or paraben might provide adequate representation of an individual's recent exposure. However, future studies should investigate exposures at earlier life stages, particularly before the development of allergic symptoms.…”

Cosmetic Ingredients as Emerging Pollutants of Environmental and Health Concern. A Mini-Review

“…Parabens have been detected in human urine, serum, adipose tissue, milk, amniotic fluid and placental tissue [107][108][109][110][111][112][113], and in human breast cancer tissues [114,115]. In humans, dermal exposure to paraben-containing products is important for their absorption because some parabens penetrate the human skin [116]; the systemic absorption of parabens after environmental exposure has also been confirmed, although it seems to be a less important paraben source [38].…”