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A new study reveals that levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in some parts of dialysis machines may be toxic to the immune cells circulating in kidney failure patients' blood.

Bisphenol A is found in various components of dialysis machines that filter kidney failure patients' blood.

Lead researcher Mauro Neri of San Bortolo Hospital in Italy assessed the amount of BPA release by three different types of dialysis machines. They also analyzed the effects of the related BPA on immune cells found in the blood.

Neri and his team circulated 600 milliliter of cell culture media for four hours through the (Nipro Elisio 17H, BBraun Diacap, and Nipro Elisio 170H dialysis machines.

The measured the eluted BPA mass and evaluated the effect of BPA on viability, necrosis, and death of immune cells for each machine.

The findings revealed that Elisio 17H released less BPA than the other dialysis machines. The viability of higher, while necrosis and cell death were lower in immune cells incubated in media circulated through this type of dialysis machine.

"Use of alternative polymers for dialyzers' components may reduce BPA elution during dialysis. However, more experiments are needed to confirm these results," researchers wrote in the study.

The findings were presented at ASN Kidney Week 2013 November 5-10 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.