Anthropogenic gadolinium in freshwater and drinking water systems

Robert Martin Brünjes, Thilo Hofmann (Corresponding author)

Publications: Contribution to journalReviewPeer Reviewed

Abstract

The increasing use of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) for magnetic resonance imaging is
leading to widespread contamination of freshwater and drinking water systems. Contrary to previous
assumptions that GBCAs are stable throughout the water cycle, they can degrade. The stability of GBCAs
depends largely on their organic ligands, but also on the physicochemical conditions. There is specific
concern regarding UV end-of-pipe water treatments, which may degrade GBCAs. Degradation products
in drinking water supplies can increase the risk of adverse health effects. This is of particular relevance
where the raw water for drinking water production has a higher proportion of recycled wastewater.
GBCAs concentrations in aquatic systems, often referred to as anthropogenic gadolinium, are determined
using a variety of calculation methods. Where anthropogenic gadolinium concentrations are low, the
inconsistent use of these methods results in high discrepancies and high levels of uncertainty. The
current COVID-19 crisis will, in the short-term, drastically decrease the input of GBCAs to freshwater
systems. Temporal variations in anthropogenic gadolinium concentrations in river water can be used to
better understand river-aquifer interactions and groundwater flow velocities. Collecting urine from all
patients following MRI examinations could be a way forward to halt the generally increasing concentrations
of Gd in drinking water systems and recover this technologically critical element.
© 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Original languageEnglish
Article number115966
Number of pages11
JournalWater Research
Volume182
Early online date29 May 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2020

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 105302 Hydrochemistry
  • 105906 Environmental geosciences

Keywords

  • Anthropogenic gadolinium
  • Gadolinium-based contrast agents
  • Gadolinium anomaly
  • Drinking water
  • Micropollutants
  • COVID-19
  • HOSPITAL EFFLUENTS
  • RHINE RIVER
  • RIVER WATERS
  • IMAGING CONTRAST AGENTS
  • SURFACE-WATER
  • TAP WATER
  • GD-DTPA
  • EMERGING CONTAMINANTS
  • WASTE-WATER
  • RARE-EARTH-ELEMENTS

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Anthropogenic gadolinium in freshwater and drinking water systems'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this