Methylparaben is a paraben with antibacterial and antifungal properties used as a preservative in many products. It is biodegradable, non-toxic, and not carcinogenic or estrogenic. Synthetic alternatives like thimerosal have harmful effects.
Methylparaben is a member of the paraben family, a group of compounds that possess antibacterial and antifungal properties. These agents are esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid, which is why they are collectively called parabens. However, in contrast to its cousins, ethylparaben, butylparaben and propylparaben, methylparaben receives its specific name due to the fact that its chemical structure contains the methylalkyl group.
Due to its antimicrobial properties, methylparaben is widely used as a water-soluble preservative in many foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. While it is usually synthesized in the laboratory for this purpose, it is essentially identical in molecular structure to the same compound found in nature. Indeed, most plants synthesize para-hydroxybenzoic acid into parabens as a defense mechanism to counteract the attacks of bacteria and fungi. Those that are known to produce this substance specifically include wintergreens, birthworts and blueberries.
Proponents of organic and natural foods and cosmetics have expressed concerns about the use of parabens in consumer products for years, but there is little evidence to justify it. While it is true that methylparaben is easily absorbed through the skin and intestinal tract, it is converted back into para-hydroxybenzoic acid and excreted rapidly through the urine. In fact, the only negative side effects that have been documented are contact dermatitis and skin sensitivity, both of which occur infrequently and only in reaction to very high concentrations of the material under test.
There is even less evidence to support the persistent belief that methylparaben is carcinogenic and estrogenic. Numerous human studies have consistently shown that para-hydroxybenzoic acid is non-toxic. Additionally, a large number of plants and fruits contain constituents that exhibit much greater estrogenic activity than methylparaben, including clover, apple, cabbage, potato, carrot, wheat, and many others.
In terms of environmental impact, methylparaben is completely and easily biodegradable. As you might expect, it is degraded to para-hydroxybenzoic acid upon exposure to water, sunlight, and microscopic organisms in soil. Furthermore, the degradation of this substance actually helps to remove toxic phenols from the surrounding environment. This is possible because bacteria belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family feed on the carbon molecules in methylparaben, which leaves phenol as a by-product. Another strain of bacteria known as Pseudomonas consumes the remaining phenol for energy by breaking the substance down into harmless carbon compounds.
Some of the synthetic alternatives to using methylparaben as a preservative do not share the same positive qualities reported here. For example, thimerosal has been used in vaccines, although in most cases it has been eliminated or reduced to very small amounts. Thimerosal has been shown to be a neurotoxin and accumulates in the fatty tissue of marine life. Other than a small potential for developing skin sensitivity, no harmful effects have been reported from using methylparaben to preserve vaccines or other injection medicines.
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