Environmental contamination by
endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) has been a major focus of recent research and policy discussions. EDC-suspected man-made chemicals used as raw materials or
plasticizers have been shown to elute from
plastic products. To examine whether the
dialysate for
continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (
CAPD) is contaminated with EDC, we determined
bisphenol A (BPA),
nonylphenol (NP), di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (
DEHP) and
di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) in the pre-used
dialysate and in the peritoneal effluent from
renal failure patients by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Concentrations of BPA, NP,
DEHP and DBP were 0.02-0.23 ppb (microg/l), 0.09-0.22, 1.1-3.7, and <0.1-2.1 ppb, respectively, in the pre-used
dialysate, and <0.01-0.07, <0.1-0.45, 0.35-1.23, and 0.42-1.76 ppb, respectively, in the effluent, from which the maximal daily contamination of BPA and NP by
CAPD was estimated at the microgram level and that of
phthalate esters at the 10-microg level. These concentrations are far less than the toxic dosage reported so far, so that
CAPD is unlikely to contaminate patients seriously.