Hospital Effluents as a Source of Gadolinium in the Aquatic Environment

Abstract

Total annual Gd emission of a hospital offering a maximum spectrum medical services using Gd complexes in magnetic resonance imaging was computed and independently measured by ICP/MS. The Gd emission was between 2.1 and 4.2 kg per year, yielding a theoretical concentration of 8.5−30.1 μg per L in the hospital's effluent. Gd concentrations measured on different days were below detection limit (1 μg per L) and 55 μg per L, and annual average concentrations were between 10.5 and 20.5 μg per L as calculated from analytical results, water flow, and total water consumption. The concentrations in the influent of the municipal sewage treatment plant (STP) receiving the effluent were always below detection limit indicating that there was no other major discharge of Gd. Based on consumption data, total Gd input by German hospitals is estimated to be roughly 132 kg per year. An elevation of the natural concentration of Gd in German surface waters by 0.003−0.004 μg per L will result from this amount, if there is no elimination in sewage treatment plants. Using the number of MRI apparatus used in Germany the annual emission by hospitals is 484 and 1160 kg by hospitals and practices, resulting in an additional Gd concentration in German surface water of 0.011 and 0.026 μg per L, respectively. Therefore, the emission of Gd compounds used in magnetic resonance imaging have to be considered as one source among others of anthropogenic Gd anomaly in surface waters.

Distribution of rare earth elements in the Yamuna and the Chambal rivers, India

“…This is observed in populated and industrialized regions (Gd/Gd* >2 and up to 1500, closer to the source of contamination, Bau and Dulski, 1996;Nozaki et al, 2000;Elbaz-Poulichet et al, 2002). The source of the Gd is most likely gadopentetic acid, Gd(DTPA) 2-, which is used in magnetic resonance imaging (Kummerer and Helmers, 2000). A significant number of the Yamuna river water samples show positive Gd anomalies (shale-normalized Gd/Gd* values 0.95 to 1.32, Fig.…”

Effects of exposure to gadolinium on the development of geographically and phylogenetically distant sea urchins species

“…Gd 3þ toxicity appears to be associated with its action as a blocker of Ca 2þ channels because its ionic radius is nearly equal to that of divalent Ca 2þ (Sherry et al, 2009). Gd chelates are stable complexes and are not metabolized and so they enter the environment unchanged (Kümmerer and Helmers, 2000). It has been estimated that between 70 and 300 g Gd is released each day into the environment Abbreviations: hpf, hours post fertilization; Gd, gadolinium; PMCs, primary mesenchyme cells.…”

Oxidation of cefazolin by potassium permanganate: Transformation products and plausible pathways

“…Therefore, quite a large part of cephalosporins gets access to the surface water by run-off. On the other hand, cephalosporins entering the municipal wastewater collection system could survive in the conventional wastewater treatment practices as well (Dodd et al, 2010;Gulkowska et al, 2008), and have been frequently found in the effluents from wastewater treatment plants (Le Corre et al, 2012;Kümmerer and Helmers, 2000;Kümmerer, 2001Kümmerer, , 2010Heberer, 2001;Sarmah et al, 2006;Leung et al, 2012;Lin et al, 2010). Furthermore, the cephalosporins are discharged with wastewater effluents to surface water which may serve as drinking water sources.…”