Toxicity assessment of parabens in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Parabens, the alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid such as methylparaben (MeP), ethylparaben (EtP), propylparaben (PrP), butylparaben (BuP) are used as a preservative in food, personal care products (PCPs), and pharmaceuticals, due to their antimicrobial properties. Parabens are continuously released into the environment, during washout of PCPs, disposal of industrial waste from the pharmaceutical and paper industries. Parabens have been detected in the indoor dust, wastewater stream, surface water of rivers, and the marine system.