Yiqun Chen,Pinya Deng,Pengchao Xie,Ran Shang,Zongping Wang,Songlin Wang
We evaluated the degradation of methylparaben (MeP) and ethylparaben (EtP), two representative parabens, using the heat-activated persulfate system in a laboratory. Both sulfate and hydroxyl radicals contributed to the removal of the two parabens. The degradations of both MeP and EtP were improved by increasing the heating temperature or persulfate dose in accordance with a pseudo-first-order reaction model. The oxidation efficiency of parabens was found to be pH-dependent; decreasing in the order pH 5.0 > 7.0 > 9.0. The presence of chloride, bicarbonate , or humic acid was found to inhibit the degradation of the two parabens to some extent because of competition for the reactive radicals, with humic acid having the most serious effect. Dealkylation of the methyl unit, decarboxylation of the carboxylic group, and subsequent hydrolysis are proposed to be involved in the degradation pathway of MeP. The results suggest that the heat-activated persulfate system might be efficiently applied in the treatment of paraben-containing water samples. This was also supported by the results of applying this system to treat a real water sample containing both MeP and EtP.
Parabens (PBs), a class of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), are extensively used as additives in personal care products (PCPs); however, distinguishing between endogenous and exogenous contamination from PCPs in hair remains a challenge. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the levels, distribution patterns, impact factors, and sources of PBs in 119 human hair samples collected from Changchun, northeast China. The detection rates of methylparaben (MeP), propylparaben (PrP), and ethylparaben (EtP) in hair samples were found to be 100%. The concentration of PBs in hair followed the order of MeP (57.48 ng/g) > PrP (46.40 ng/g) > EtP (6.80 ng/g). The concentration of PrP in female hair was significantly higher (65.38 ng/g) than that observed in male hair (7.82 ng/g) ( p < 0.05). The levels of excretion rates of MeP ( ER MeP ) and excretion rates of PrP (ER PrP ) in the hair-dying samples (ER MeP : 17.89 ng/day; ER PrP : 14.15 ng/day) were found to be 2.52 and 2.40 times higher, respectively, compared to the non-hair-dying samples (ER MeP : 7.09 ng/day; ER PrP : 6.05 ng/day). However, the system exposure dosage (SED) results revealed that although hair dyes exhibited higher PBs, human exposure was found to be lower than certain PCPs. The results of the correlation analysis revealed that toner, face cream, body lotion, and hair conditioner were identified as the primary sources of PBs in male hair. Furthermore, the human exposure resulting from the utilization of female hair dye and serum exhibited a positive correlation with hair ER MeP and ER PrP levels, indicating in the screening of samples, excluding hair samples using hair dye and haircare essential oil can effectively avoid the interference caused by exogenous contamination from PCPs.
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）