There are two ways that MSM is made. One is distilled and one is chemically made. Most MSM on the market is chemically made and I suspect that the kidney problems are caused by the chemicals they use to make MSM. I have been taking MSM for 4 years and have not had a problem, I use distilled MSM. Check when buying to make sure it is distilled. If you are in Australia you can get distilled MSM from organicherbalcoloncleanse.com