Concentrations of the Sunscreen Agent Benzophenone-3 in Residents of the United States: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004

• Published in: Environmental health perspectives Vol. 116; no. 7; pp. 893 - 897
• Main Authors: Calafat, Antonia M., Wong, Lee-Yang, Ye, Xiaoyun, Reidy, John A., Needham, Larry L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 01.07.2008
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age; Age Factors; Age groups; Benzophenones - urine; Chemical hazards; Child; Children; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Environmental health; Female; Geometric mean; Health Surveys; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Male; Mass Spectrometry; Racial Groups; Sex Factors; Sunscreening agents; Sunscreening Agents - analysis; Toxicology; United States; Urine; United States; USA; sunscreen; biomonitoring; exposure; urine; NHANES 2003–2004; benzophenone-3; human
• ISSN: 0091-6765; 1552-9924
• DOI: 10.1289/ehp.11269

Background: The capability of benzophenone-3 (BP-3) to absorb and dissipate ultraviolet radiation facilitates its use as a sunscreen agent. BP-3 has other uses in many consumer products (e.g., as fragrance and flavor enhancer, photoinitiator, ultraviolet curing agent, polymerization inhibitor). Objectives: Our goal was to assess exposure to BP-3 in a representative sample of the U.S. general population ≥ 6 years of age. Methods: Using automated solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, we analyzed 2,517 urine samples collected as part of the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Results: We detected BP-3 in 96.8% of the samples. The geometric mean and 95th percentile concentrations were 22.9 μg/L (22.2 μg/g creatinine) and 1,040 μg/L (1,070 μg/g creatinine), respectively. Least-square geometric mean (LSGM) concentrations were significantly higher (p ≤ 0.04) for females than for males, regardless of age. LSGM concentrations were significantly higher for non-Hispanic whites than for non-Hispanic blacks (p ≤ 0.01), regardless of age. Females were more likely than males [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 3.5; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.9-6.5], and non-Hispanic whites were more likely than non-Hispanic blacks (adjusted OR = 6.8; 95% CI, 2.9-16.2) to have concentrations above the 95th percentile. Conclusions: Exposure to BP-3 was prevalent in the general U.S. population during 2003-2004. Differences by sex and race/ethnicity probably reflect differences in use of personal care products containing BP-3.