Abstract
Parabens are extensively used as preservatives in consumer products. The widespread exposure of human to parabens has been associated with adverse health effects. In this study, six parabens were measured in 100 indoor dust collected from homes, university dormitories, and cosmetics stores in Nanjing, China. Concentrations of sum of six parabens (∑6parabens) in dust from homes, university dormitories, and cosmetics stores ranged from 13.1 to 4.22 × 103, 102 to 3.03 × 103, and 7.02 × 103 to 3.41 × 104 ng/g, respectively. The median concentrations of ∑6parabens in dust from cosmetics stores (1.5 × 104 ng/g) were 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than those found in dust from homes (166 ng/g) and university dormitories (1.23 × 103 ng/g) (p < 0.01). Methyl-, ethyl-, and propyl-parabens were the predominant compounds found in dust samples, and the sum concentrations of three compounds accounted for 71.9–99.6%, 93.1–99.6%, and 94.7–99.6% of ∑6parabens in dust from homes, university dormitories, and cosmetics stores, respectively. Significant positive correlations were found between methyl- and propyl-parabens concentrations in three types of dust (r = 0.789–0.909), indicating their coexistence in many consumer products. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of ∑6parabens for adults via dust ingestion was highest for employees in cosmetics stores (median: 4.6 ng/kg bw/day), followed by university students (0.56–0.64 ng/kg bw/day), and adults in homes (0.075–0.087 ng/kg bw/day). The result provides a better understanding of human exposure to parabens in different indoor environments, and more studies are needed to further investigate the occurrence and potential health risks of parabens in dust from various microenvironments.