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Benzophenone (BP) and its derivatives are widely used in various cosmetics, personal care products, and food packaging ink. The use of BP has raised concerns about the potential health risks associated with its endocrine-disrupting effects. This study evaluated urinary concentrations of BP derivatives in a national sample of the South Koreans population aged 6–89 years. From July to September in each 2010 and 2011, 1576 urine samples were collected. Urinary concentrations of benzophenone-1 (BP-1), benzophenone-2 (BP-2), benzophenone-3 (BP-3), benzophenone-4 (BP-4), benzophenone-8 (BP-8), and 4-hydroxybenzophenone (4-OH-BP) were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The detection rate for BP-1 and 4-OH-BP were 56% [limit of detection (LOD) 0.59 ng/mL] and 88% (LOD 0.04 ng/mL), respectively, whereas those for BP-2, BP-3, BP-4, and BP-8 were all below 25%. The geometric means of urinary BP-1 and 4-OH-BP concentrations were 1.24 ng/mL and 0.45 ng/mL, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that concentrations of BP-1 in and of 4-OH-BP in adults were associated with sex and age. The BP-1 and 4-OH-BP concentration of children and adolescents was associated with sex, age, income, and current area of residence. The correlation was observed between urinary concentrations of BP derivatives, which is an important indication of exposure biomarkers and the metabolic pathways from BP-3. This is the first national study to evaluate the presence of BP derivatives in urine samples from the South Korean population, stratified by demographic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parabens are broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents used in a range of consumer products, including personal care products, cosmetics, and food. Recently, the widespread use of parabens has raised concerns about the potential health risks associated with their endocrine-disrupting effect. In the present study, 2541 urine samples were collected and analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of the concentrations of methyl paraben (MeP), ethyl paraben (EtP), propyl paraben (PrP) and butyl paraben (BuP). The detection rate and geometric mean concentrations of parabens in the general population followed the order MeP (97.7%; 116 ng/mL)>EtP (97.2%; 24.7 ng/mL)>PrP (96.7%; 11.0 ng/mL)>BuP (83.5%; 1.13 ng/mL). The composition profiles showed that MeP and EtP accounted for >90% of the urinary paraben concentration. We performed statistical analysis in order to evaluate differences between demographic variables and urinary concentrations. Our results showed that adjusted proportional change of MeP, PrP, and BuP in adults were 2.67–6.13 times higher in females than in males. The urinary concentrations of PrP in adults increased significantly with age. The adjusted proportional changes of MeP and PrP in adults were associated with increased body mass index (BMI). The adjusted proportional changes of BuP and PrP in children and adolescents were 1.44 and 1.69 times higher in females than in males. However, there was no clear association between paraben concentrations and demographic variables in the children and adolescents groups. The estimated daily intake (EDI urine ) of MeP and EtP in adults were 301 μg/kg bw/day, which is lower than the acceptable daily intake (ADI; 10 mg/kg bw/day). In summary, our results revealed that the general population in Korea was exposed to parabens during 2009–2010, and most Koreans are exposed to parabens. The urinary levels of parabens varied by age group with demographic factors in the Korean population. The results of study may be used to establish a nationally representative baseline of exposure to parabens in risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the blood mercury levels of the general Korean population. The data from subjects of all ages were pooled from recent national surveys. In the combined surveys, the geometric means (GMs) of the blood mercury concentrations in subjects aged 0–7, 8–18, and 19 years and above were 2.05 (2010–2011), 2.12 (2010–2011), and 3.74 μg/L (2008–2011), respectively. There was an increasing trend in blood mercury levels with age until 59 years and then a slight decline in the group above 60 years. The time trend for exposure to mercury in Korea also showed a marked decline. In comparing estimated methylmercury exposure to the Korean health-based guidance value (tolerable weekly intake [TWI]: 2.0 μg/kg bw/week), the GMs of methylmercury exposure for subjects aged 0–7, 8–18, and 19 years and above were 0.30, 0.31, and 0.43 μg/kg bw/week, respectively, while methylmercury exposure did not exceed the TWI (15.0%, 15.5%, and 21.5% compared to the TWI, respectively). The 95th percentiles of estimated methylmercury exposure ranged from 0.71 to 1.61 μg/kg bw/week, which was not above the TWI (range, 35.5–80.5%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]