• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.37-47
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• 2023

Background: Paraben is a widely used substance with a preservative effect found in various materials such as food, medicine, personal care products, and cosmetics. Objectives: This study was conducted to identify the level of urinary paraben concentrations (i.e., methyl-, ethyl-, and propyl-) among Korean adults and to explore the factors related with the exposure levels. Methods: We analyzed the third period (2015~2017) of the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS). R statistical software (version 4.1.1) was used to estimate representative values for the whole population with weight variables to reflect sampling design. Whether urinary concentrations tended to increase as the level of paraben exposure-related characteristics increased was tested and P_trend was calculated using general linear models. Results: Urinary concentrations of all three parabens (i.e., methyl-, ethyl- and propyl-) were higher in women than in men (P_trend<0.0001, 0.008, and <0.0001), and the values of methylparaben and propylparaben tended to increase as the age of subjects increased (P_trend<0.0001, and <0.0001). Urinary concentrations of methylparaben and propylparaben were associated with intensity of exercise (P_trend<0.001, and 0.004), and that of propylparaben was higher in non-smokers (P_trend=0.01). In terms of paraben exposure-related variables, urinary concentrations of parabens (i.e., methyl-, ethyl- and propyl-) increased as the daily average frequency of teeth-brushing (P_trend<0.0001, 0.03 and 0.0001), the frequency of use of hair products (P_trend=0.005, 0.05 and 0.04), the frequency of use of makeup products (P_trend<0.001, 0.001 and <0.001), and the frequency of use of antibacterial products (P_trend=0.005, 0.02 and 0.02) increased. Conclusions: In our study, urinary concentrations of all three parabens are associated with gender, teethbrushing, hair products, make-up products, and antibacterial products. Methyl- and proyl-parabens were associated with age and intensity of exercise, and propyl-paraben was associated with smoking.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 1984

Increasing the oil volume in the oil : water mixtures using isopropyl myristate, oleic acid as oils, the solubilities of methyl, propyl and butyl parabens and the MICs (minimum hibitory concentrations) to E. coli were increased. But in liquid paraffin, the solubility was reversed. The relation between MIC and solubility of parabens had constant factor of 0.7 as saturation fraction percent. The solubility of methyl paraben was crossed over in those of propyl and butyl parabens, when the oil volume was increased. When the oil was used over the cross-over point, methyl paraven was useful to preserve the systems, and below the cross-over point the more lipophilic propyl and/or butyl parabens were effective.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.501-507
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• 2010

In this study, we evaluate the anti-microbiological activity of paraben in eye shadows that are composed of pigments and oil binders using various analytical methods and microbiological tests. Paraben does not show the microbiological activity properly when it was used with Nylon SP$^{(R)}$ 10, Talc RF SSA$^{(R)}$, OMC Talc AS$^{(R)}$ and $BaSO_4$. In the test of fungi, Nylon SP$^{(R)}$ 10 causes the decrease of microbiological activity regardless of the type of oil binders. The pigment of Mango violet also causes the decrease of microbiological activity when ester oil binder was used. Regardless of the type of oil binder, samples containing nylon SP 10, 0.15% of methyl paraben and 0.05% of propyl paraben had not been able to maintain microbiological activity only if the concentration of parabens were increased. Trace amounts of metal ions present in pigments reduced the activity of preservatives by inactivation of hydroxyl group of paraben. It is thought that swollen nylon SP 10 in ester oil increase the absorption or interaction of parabens and swollen nylon powder causes the inactivation of paraben.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.219-227
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• 2015

This study was conducted to determine 10 preservatives (benzyl alcohol (BAl), phenoxyethanol (PE), benzoic acid (BA), sorbic acid (SA), methyl paraben (MP), ethyl paraben (EP), propyl paraben (PP), isopropyl paraben (IPP), butyl paraben (BP), isobutyl paraben (IBP)) levels in 125 cosmetics (n = 125) for children by the simultaneous analysis of HPLC. The detection ranges were as follows; 0.01 ~ 0.91% (n = 35) for PE, 0.01 ~ 0.48% (n = 28) for BA, 0.01 ~ 0.78% (n = 9) for BAl, 0.01 ~ 0.11% (n = 3) for SA, 0.04 ~ 0.21% (n = 8) for MP, 0.02 ~ 0.09% (n = 8) for PP, and 0.04% (n = 1) for EP. The order of detection rates was cleanser (63%) > cream (48%) > sunscreen (46%) > lotion (38%) > oil (13%). At least one of target preservatives was contained in 50% (63/125) of samples and the content of the detected preservatives was within maximum allowed amount established by KFDA. Phenoxyethanol and benzoic acid were used more frequently than paraoxybenzoate esters (parabens) in cosmetics for children and the detected parabens was mainly the mixture of methyl paraben and propyl paraben.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.118-124
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• 2016

Parabens were commonly used for preventing the growth of microorganisms as preservatives in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industry. Also, parabens are known endocrine disruptors because of their estrogenic effects on human. Parabens affect the endocrine system and show adverse effect such as, genital malformations, precocious puberty and testicular cancer in young children, infants and fetuses. In this study, we developed analytical method for four parabens (methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, butyl paraben) in human breast milk which frequently consumed by newborn baby. The analytes were extracted using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) after enzyme hydrolysis with protease and lipase, then quantitative analysis was performed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The method validation results were as follows; the linearity of calibration curves were excellent with coefficient of determinations (r²) higher than 0.999, the limit of detections (LODs) were 0.019~0.044 ng/mL, the accuracies were 85.3~105.9% and the precisions were lower than 10%. The average concentration ± standard deviation of parabens in ten human breast milk sample were MP 0.660 ± 0.519 ng/mL, EP 1.631 ± 2.081 ng/mL and PP 0.326 ± 0.320 ng/mL, and BP was not detected.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.118-128
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• 2006

This study was conducted to determination of the endocrine distruptor function of 'Parabens' by dosing ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, isopropyl paraben, butyl paraben and isobutyl paraben to the immature SD rats. 18 groups were given vehicle control group, negative control group (Dibutyl phthalate), postive control group ($1'7-{\alpha}$ Ethynylestrdiol) and each paraben groups involved 3 dose level. Rats were injected with 62.5, 250 and 1,000mg/kg from postnatal day 19 till 21 once a day in subcutaneous and a total 3, times. There was no treatment related death. but, subcutaneous nodule, edema, alopecia and scrub formation on injection site was observed. These signs was become worse in high dose level. these signs was cause from physical stimulation by test substance which parabens were mix with com oil as vehicle. In the analysis of organ weights, absolute and relative weights of brain, spleen, liver, thymus, heart, kidneys, adrenals, ovaries and vagina were no difference with control group. but, wet and blotted weight of uterus was increased in every high dose parabens treat group. Especially, all dose level of isobutyl paraben was showed increment of uterus weight. uterus dilatation of parabens treated group was observed in gross anatomic pathology and these result was agree with wet and blotted weight of uterus. In the result of this study, estrogenic effect as endocrine distruptor was observed in ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, isopropyl paraben, butyl paraben and isobutyl paraben. and it was considered isobutyl paraben has highest estrogrnic effect under the condition of this study.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.867-873
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• 2023

In this study, for the purpose of standardized quality control of a cold medicine, we simultaneous analyzed four main chemical components of a cold medicine: acetaminophen, caffeine, methyl paraben, and propyl paraben. The sample was subjected to quantitative analysis using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), after pretreatment of four components. The experiment was carried out by using Isocratic elution at wavelength of 270nm. Acetonitrile and water (H₂O) were used as a mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0mL/min in a commercial C18 reversed-phase column. A volume of 10uL cold medicine were injected into the column with column oven temperature at 35℃. As a result of the experiment, the values of Resolution were 4.983, 1.596, 5.519, and 1.678 respectively-well over Rs >1.5, which indicates that the separation of four components were efficient. In addition, value of symmetry factor of the components was 1.056, 1.069, 1.032, and 1.133 respectively, to show its symmetrical stability. The calibration curve of all four components exhibits good linearity with R² >0.9995 to 0.9999. Furthermore, the limit of detection(LOD) were between 0.0118 to 1.5973 mg/mL, while the limit of quantification (LOQ) were between 0.0353 to 4.7919 ㎍/mL with the recovery rate of 79.6% ~ 120.5%. The results of this study showed an efficient quality evaluation of a simultaneous analysis method for cold medicine components.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.283.1-283.1
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• 2003

This study was designed to develop and validate an isocratic reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic(HPLC) method for the quantitation of sobrerol in drug preparations, and obtain the data pool that can be used in the revision of pharmacopoeia. The separation of sobrerol and the other compounds (S-carboxymethylcysteine, acetaminophen, methyl paraben, propyl paraben, and sobrerol degradants) was achieved in a C18 column with an acetonitrile-methanol-water(24.5:10.5:65.0) mobile phase. (omitted)

• Toxicological Research
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.181-184
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• 2011

Screening of estrogenic activity on dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT), dichloro diphenyl dichloro ethylene (DDE), dieldrin, heptachlor, aldrin, chlordane, lindane, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and parabens was compared using Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) test guideline 455 (TG455). The estrogenic activity of DDT was 58,000-fold ($PC_{50}$, $1.67{\times}10^{-6}$ M) less than $17{\beta}$-estradiol($E_2$) ($PC_{50}$, $2.88{\times}10^{-11}$ M) but DDE, dieldrin, heptachlor, aldrin, chlordane, lindane and PBDE did not show any estrogenic activity in this assay system. In the case of paraben compounds, the rank of relative transcriptional activation (logRTA) was butyl paraben -1.63752 ($PC_{50}$, $1.25{\times}10^{-7}$ M) > isobutyl paraben -2.34008 ($PC_{50}$, $6.3{\times}10^{-7}$ M) > ethyl paraben -2.64016 ($PC_{50}$, $1.26{\times}10^{-6}$ M) > isopropyl paraben -2.73993 ($PC_{50}$, $1.58{\times}10^{-6}$ M) > propyl paraben -2.84164 ($PC_{50}$, $2.0{\times}10^{-6}$ M). Our data suggest that OECD test guideline TG455 may be useful as a screening tool for potential endocrine disruptors.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.239-254
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• 2008

This study was conducted in order to get basic data on standards and specifications of health and functional foods. A total of 101 kinds of functional healths foods were examined during the period of January to December 2005. Among them, 89 kinds were local products and 12 kinds were imported products. Test items were 6 kinds of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, copper, zinc and manganese), 5 bacteria (common bacteria, coliform group, E coli, Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens), and 6 preservatives (sorbic acid, benzoic acid, DHA, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben and butyl paraben). As a result of heavy metals, cadmium, was detected from the glucosamine products by 1.52ppm in average, mercury from cereal products by 0.004ppm in average, and lead from chlorella foods by 3.48ppm in average. Bacteria were identified from 3 cereal products, and amount of common bacteria were about $4.8{\times}105cfu/g$ in average. E Coli and Coliform group were isolated from 2 products and 4 products, respectively. All of those products were flour meal products. Any of 6 kinds of preservatives was not detected from all the products. It is thought that these test results will be available as basic data for enactment of relevant laws and regulations for production and control of safer and more hygienic foods in the future because the standards of the harmful heavy metals are not complete or available yet according to the Food Sanitation Law and the Functional Healths Foods Law.