• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.229-237
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• 2008

Recently, parabens have been believed to act as xenoestrogens, an identified class of endocrine disruptors (EDs). These environmental compounds are the most well-known as preservatives in many commercial products, including food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. It has been demonstrated that the human health risks of parabens result from a long-term exposure to skin in which this chemical group is rapidly absorbed through the skin. On the other hand, parabens are also completely absorbed from gastrointestinal tract. It has reported that these substances possess several biological effects in which inhibitory property involved in membrane transports and mitochondrial functions is considered to be important for their action. Testing of parabens has revealed that estrogen-like activities of these chemicals are much less potent than natural estrogen, $17{\beta}$ estradiol (E2). Additionally, the estrogenicity of individual paraben- compounds is distinct depending upon their biochemical structure. Recent findings of paraben-estrogenic activities have shown that these compounds may affect breast cancer incidence in women, suggesting adverse ecological outcomes of this environmental group on human and animal health. Although the biological and toxicological effects of parabens have been demonstrated in many previous studies, possible mechanism(s) of their action are required to be explored in order to bring the better understanding in the detrimental impacts of parabens in human and wildlife. There have several different types of parabens which are the most widely used as preservatives. These include methyl-paraben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and p-hydroxybenzoic acid, a major metabolite of parabens. In this review, we summarize current database based on in vitro and in vivo assays for estrogenic activities and health risk assessment of paraben- EDs which have been published previously.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.40-44
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• 2001

Benomyl, one of the known endocrine disrupting chemicals, was analyzed to understand the its fate in water. Benomyl analysis process in water sample include the following sequential steps. Hydrolysis of benomyl into carbendazim, solvent extraction, concentration, and the concentration of final carbendazim solution was determined by LC/MS (TOF). Recoveries of the spiked samples were good with the range of 80.6 to 118.6% and the MDL was 1,600 times lower than that of LC/UVD method. The use of LC/MS (TOF) successfully eliminated the positive error incurred by interferencing materials in the matrix.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.406-415
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the hazards of cosmetic ingredients in Korea. Methods: An Excel database of cosmetic ingredients was developed on a website(Korea Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary) and used for a hazard assessment based on Tox-free, a database containing toxic information such as on carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxicants(CMRs) and endocrine disrupting chemicals(EDCs), as well as other regulated chemicals in Korea. Results: A total of 16,605 chemicals were registered with the cosmetic ingredient dictionary and 308 of them were identified as either CMRs or EDCs. CMRs included formaldehyde and nickel gluconate, and EDCs included parabens, benzophenon, styrene, and toluene. Reproductive toxicants such as xylene, zinc chloride, toluene, and formaldehyde were regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances(the Chemical Control Act). Conclusions: Regulations on cosmetics components should be strengthened, and the right to know about cosmetics containing hazardous chemicals should be guaranteed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.783-792
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• 2009

This study investigated 31 selected EDCs(Endocrine Disrupting Compounds) and PPCPs(Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products) in the influent and effluent of a wastewater treatment plant(WWTP) nearby Seoul metropolitan area. The chemical compounds of EDC/PPCPs detected from the plant influent sample include stimulant, X-ray contrast media and fire retardant. The total amount of each compound class were 59.67%, 20.20% and 9.00% respectively. However, in the effluent sample, the major micropolutants detected were oral beta-blocker(30.54%), fire retardant(20.49%), X-ray contrast media(18.17%). The EDC/PPCPs occurrence levels of this study were somewhat lower than previous domestic studies'. When compared to those of overseas, the values were even lower. Some pharmaceutical compound levels particularly measured in European studies were even several thousand times high. This study then compared PECs(Predicted Environmental Concentration) and MECs(Measured Environmental Concentration) of 9 selected pharmaceuticals compounds. The calculated PECs were substantially different with the MECs, while the occurrence order between the PECs and MECs in terms of concentrations of the compounds were similar.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.683-692
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• 2000

The volatile organic compounds emitted from food wrapping films when it was used at high temperatures. However, the testing method based on solvent extraction may not be suitable for determination of volatile organic compounds from food wrapping films. Therefore, thermal extraction device was investigated in the study for reflection of actual usage conditions at home and restaurant. In this study, PVC food wrapping films were exposed to normal use condition controlled from $50^{\circ}C$ to $120^{\circ}C$ and collected on sorbent trap. Then, emitted VOCs from the films were analyzed with On-column cryofocusing-GC/MS system. The major VOCs emitted from films were $C_{12}-C_{18}$ paraffinic hydrocarbons, dimethylphthalate, alkylphenols, known as endocrine disrupting chemical, such as tetramethylbutylphenol, tert-butylphenol, and nonylphenol. The concentration of tetramethylbutylphenol emitted from PVC films was $0.07ng/cm^2$ at $50^{\circ}C$, rapidly increased with temperature, $3.94ng/cm^2$ at $100^{\circ}C$.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.75-81
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• 2011

Objective: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used extensively to manufacture plastics and epoxy resin liners for food and beverage cans. BPA, with properties similar to estrogen, has endocrine-disrupting effects. In the present study, we examined the effects of early prepubertal BPA exposure on the onset of puberty and reproductive parameters such as estrous cycle and reproductive organ weights in female mice. Methods: Female mice were injected subcutaneously at postnatal day (PND) 8 with BPA (0.1, 1, 10, 100 mg/kg) in sesame oil or with sesame oil alone. Body weight was measured from PND 10 to 70. Vaginal opening and estrous cycle were monitored from PND 20 to 29. Animals were sacrificed at PND 25, 30, and 70, and the ovary and uterus weights were measured. Results: Early prepubertal exposure to BPA (10 and 100 mg/kg) significantly decreased body weight from PND 18 to 30. BPA treated mice at testing dose levels showed early opening of the vagina compared to the control group. The number of estrous cycle and days of estrus were significantly decreased in high dose (100 mg/kg) BPA treated mice. The ovary weight at PND 25 and 30 was significantly decreased in all BPA treatment groups. Conclusion: Early prepubertal exposure to BPA accelerated the onset of puberty but decreased reproductive parameters in female mice.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.1 s.88
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• pp.60-66
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• 2006

Bisphenol A(BPA) was known as an endocrine disrupting chemical. This study was conducted to assess the effect of BPA, weaker estrogen, on the preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN). One hundred male F344 rats were divided into four groups which were treated with DEN followed by BPA. To make liver tumor early, we conducted that DEN containing osmotic pump implanted into rat abdominal cavity. Then diet containing BPA were fed to the rats. All animals were sacrificed at 10 and 18 weeks. Body weights were significantly decreased in 4000ppm at 18 weeks. Relative Liver weights of 4000 ppm BPA treated group were significantly increased compared to that of DEN alone group at 18 weeks. There were no significant differences of liver tumor incidences. Sum area of GST-P positive foci and BrdU labeling indices of BPA treated group were not significantly different compared to those of control group. These results suggest that BPA have no effects in preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions on DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenesis.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.34-43
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• 2001

Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is the most commonly used phthalate ester in polyvinyl chloride formulations including food packing and storage of human blood. DEHP is a well known as non-genotoxic carcinogen and endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC). DEHP have shown all negative results in ICH-guildeline recommended standard genotoxicity test battery. In this study, to assess the clastogenic and DNA damaging effect in human-derived tissue specific cells, DEHP was treated in human derived MCE-7 cells, HepG2 cells, LNCap cells, BeWo cells, MCE-10A cells, and female peripheral blood cells using micronucleus assay and in human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells up to $1.28$\times$10^{-2}$ M using Comet assay. The in vitro micronucleus assay is a mutagenicity test system for the detection of chemicals which induce the formation of small membrane bound DNA fragment i.e. micronuclei in the cytoplasm of interphase cells, originated from clastogenic and/or aneugenic mechanism. The single cell gel electrophoresis assay (Comet assay) is used to detect DNA strand-breaks and alkaline labile site. In our results, DEHP increased significantly and/or dose-depentently and time-dependently micronucleus frequency at the 6 and 24 hr without metabolic activation system only in MCE-7 cells. DEHP treated with 2 hrs in MCF-7 cells using Comet assay induced DNA damage dose-depentantly.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.324-330
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• 2002

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a monomer widely used in the manufacturing polycarbonate plastics or epoxy resin, and xenobiotics recently known as endocrine disrupting chemical. In this paper, to assess the effects of bisphenol A on immunopathological parameters (body weight, organ weight, hematological parameters, cellularity and surface marker) in mice, ICR female mice were orally exposed to BPA dissolved in olive oil as concentrations of 100, 500, 1000 ㎎/㎏/day b.w. 5 days a week for 30 days (subacute exposure). Liver - and kidney weight was significantly increased as dose-dependent manner, but body- , spleen- and thymus- weight didn't changed. In hematological parameters, WBC and MCHC were lowered but HCT and MCV were siginificantly enhanced. There was no significant differences in peritoneal macrophages number of the mice exposed to BPA. However, number of splenocytes of spleen, CD3/sup +/ and CD4/sup +/ cell in splenocytes, CD4/sup +/ and CD8/sup +/ cell in thymocytes were decreased at the mice subacutely exposed to BPA. In addition, BPA decreased expression of B7-1 and B7-2 on macrophages. Therefore, these results showed BPA may affect hematological parameters, cellularity and surface marker of immunocytes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.946-951
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• 2005

Biodegradation of the endocrine-disrupting chemical di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) was investigated using a bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens B-1, isolated from mangrove sediment. The effects of temperature, pH, salinity, and oxygen availability on DBP degradation were studied. Degradation of DBP was monitored by solid-phase extraction using reversed-phase HPLC and UV detection. The major metabolites of DBP degradation were identified as mono-n-butyl phthalate and phthalic acid by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and a pathway of degradation was proposed. Degradation by P. fluorescens B-1 conformed to first-order kinetics. Degradation of DBP was also tested in seawater by inoculating P. fluorescens B-1, and complete degradation of an initial concentration of $100{\mu}g/l$ was achieved in 144 h. These results suggest that DBP is readily degraded by bacteria in natural environments.