Abstract
Objectives: Preservatives are commonly used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and other products to extend the expiration date and prevent the growth of microorganisms. Preservatives are generally effective in controlling mold and inhibiting yeast growth, and against a wide range of bacterial attacks as well. They also adversely affect the quality of sperm and cause precocious puberty in children. This study was performed to analyze seven preservatives used in pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Methods: Five kinds of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) were examined for analysis with a high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector. Each sample was homogenized and the targeted compounds were extracted with methanol. The suspended particulate was removed by syringe filter. Next, the sample was injected into an HPLC system. The separation of the seven preservatives was achieved with a C18 column and gradient mode. The accuracies were between 73% and 120% and precision was lower than 11.58% (RSD). Results: All of the calibration curves showed good linearity with a coefficient of determination ($r^2$) over 0.999. Among the PPCP samples, the detection rate of preservatives was 32.5% for pharmaceuticals, 44.8% for toothpaste, 76.9% for mouthwash, 40.0% for body lotion and 56.0% for wet tissues. The average concentrations of the preservatives in PPCPs were BA 1141.0 mg/kg, MP 709.8 mg/kg, EP 624.9 mg/kg, PP 216.9 mg/kg, BP 167.8 mg/kg, and TCS 538.2 mg/kg. The most frequently detected preservatives in pharmaceuticals and personal care products were BA, MP and PP. The concentrations of preservatives exceeded Korean regulatory standards in 11 samples of medicines, three of mouthwash and two of body lotion. Conclusion: We found that most of the PPCP samples contained various preservatives. It is necessary to identify which preservatives were used and to determine the level of preservatives in PPCPs and to assess the health risk to susceptible populations such as children.
