Abstract
This paper aimed to clarify the relationship between transient leukopenia observed in patients treated by a dialysis and a plasticizer (DEHP) dissolved from the tube of dialysis apparatuses. Our previous examinations showed that the artificial dialysis tube caused the leukopenia. However, the leukopenia was not caused directly by the mechanical action of the tube itself, rather this experiment showed that DEHP, which was easily dissolved from dialysis tube was trapped in lung tissues, and further decreased leukocytes (neutrophils and lymphocytes) by increased chemotaxis in the lung. Our results imply that the transient leukopenia results from an increase of chemotaxis caused by DEHP in the lung tissues.
