[Organic trace element pollution in water--a potential health risk for long-term dialysis patients]

During clinical hemodialysis patients blood is exposed in general 3 times every week to about 150 l of dialysate. The quality of the water used to prepare dialysate solution is therefore of great importance. A potential health hazard exists especially for those contaminants which are protein-bound in the blood. As a consequence, even if present in dialysate in lower concentrations than in blood that substances may still cross the dialysis membrane and accumulate in the body to toxic levels. The present paper describes the behaviour of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid that is known for its high plasma protein binding, during in vitro study using standard dialysis devices. The quantification of the herbicide in dialysate and plasma was performed with a radioimmunoassay.