Quantification of parabens in marine fish samples by a rapid, simple, effective sample preparation method.

Parabens (p-hydroxybenzoic acid esters) commonly used preservatives (in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and foods) can pose potential effects on environmental health. In this study, seven parabens were quantified in marine fish samples using an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS/MS) system. Parabens in the fish samples were extracted and purified by a rapid, simple, and effective procedure comprising sample homogenization with solvent, solid-phase extraction clean-up, and solvent evaporation. Results demonstrated that the recoveries of seven compounds (with relative standard deviation < 15%) were 88-103% in matrix-spike samples and 86-105% in surrogate standards. The method detection limits and method quantification limits of seven parabens were 0.015-0.030 and 0.045-0.090 ng/g-ww (wet weight), respectively. The optimized method was applied to measure the concentration of parabens in the 37 marine fish samples collected from Vietnam coastal waters. The concentration ranges of seven parabens found in round scad and greater lizardfish samples were 6.82-25.3 ng/g ww and 6.21-17.2 ng/g-ww, respectively. Among parabens, methylparaben accounted for the highest contribution in both fish species (43.2 and 44.9%, respectively). Based on the measured concentrations of parabens in marine fish samples, the estimated daily intake was calculated for children and adults with the corresponding values of 0.0477 µg/kg/day and 0.0119 µg/kg/day, respectively. However, the presence of parabens in Vietnamese marine fish may not pose a significant risk to human health.

Occurrence, distribution, and risk assessment of halogenated organic pollutants (HOPs) in marine fish muscle: The case study of Vietnam.

Halogenated organic pollutants (HOPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and chlorophenols (CPs), were identified in three marine fish species in Vietnam. Total PCBs, OCPs, and CPs concentrations ranged from 4.5 to 711.6 ng g-1 lipid weight (lw), 69.9-2360 ng g-1 lw, and 208.1-3941.2 ng g-1 lw, respectively. CPs were the most frequently detected pollutants in the marine environment of Vietnam of the three HOPs studied, followed by OCPs and PCBs. There are significant differences in HOPs between three types of seafood in Vietnam, including yellowstripe scad, Indian mackerel, and silver pomfret in this study. Notably, the types and amounts of HOPs found in the fish were differently influenced by the economic and industrial activities of the sampled areas. Despite these findings, the consumption of HOP-contaminated fish from the study areas was found not to pose any significant health risks to Vietnam's coastal population.