Phthalates and Parabens in Personal Care Products From China: Concentrations and Human Exposure

Our previous studies showed that populations in China are widely exposed to phthalates and parabens. Nevertheless, sources of Chinese exposure to phthalates and parabens are not well understood. In this study, we measured concentrations of nine phthalates and six parabens in five categories of personal care products (PCPs, N = 52) collected from Tianjin, China, and estimated human exposure doses to these compounds. The most frequently detected phthalates and parabens in PCPs were diethyl phthalate (DEP) (detection frequency 54 %), methyl paraben (MeP), and n-propyl paraben (PrP) (similar to 75 %). The concentrations of DEP in PCPs ranged from not detected (ND; < 0.1 mu g/g) to 937 mu g/g. The highest concentrations of MeP and PrP were 2,826 and 1,564 mu g/g, respectively. Median exposure dose to parabens through dermal application of PCPs in China was estimated at 18,700 mu g/d, which was two orders of magnitude greater than that calculated for phthalates (45.5 mu g/d). Hand and body lotions were the major contributors to exposures, and the daily exposure doses for DEP, MeP, and PrP from these products were 38.4, 10,200 and 4,890 mu g, respectively.