Investigation of anthropogenic gadolinium in tap water of polish cities: Gdańsk, Kraków, Warszawa, and Wrocław

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) 2023-04, Vol.323, p.121289-121289, Article 121289
• Main Authors: Wysocka, Irena Agnieszka, Rogowska, Anna Maria, Kostrz-Sikora, Paulina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cities; Emergent microcontamination; Environmental Monitoring; Gadolinium - analysis; Metals, Rare Earth - analysis; Pilot Projects; Poland; Rare earth elements; Stability of gadolinium compounds; Urban water; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water safety
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121289

In urban areas where tap water is often produced by a purification of water supplied from a river bank filtration, a significant fraction of gadolinium (Gd) total pool is of an anthropogenic origin. It happens because Gd-based contrast agents used in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are not removed during wastewater treatment and they are discharged to the environment and returned to the water cycle. Despite the growing number of MRI examinations worldwide, little is known about the anthropogenic Gd in Polish surface water as well as drinking water. The aim of this pilot study was to gain information about the occurrence of emergent pollution as Gd in potable water available for inhabitants of Polish municipal areas. Tap water samples from Gdańsk, Kraków, Wrocław and Warszawa were analyzed by an inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry after their preconcentration by a seaFAST-pico chromatographic system. In this study, the sum of REE was in the range registered in the drinking waters of European urban regions (usually below 100 ng/L). The highest values of the sum of REE total concentrations were observed in the tap water samples collected in Warszawa (37.7 ng/L) and Wrocław (35.9 ng/L and 32.9 ng/L), where water supplies originate from the Wisła River and Oława River, respectively. The highest total Gd concentration was observed in the tap water of Warszawa city where the anthropogenic Gd fraction represented about 90% of the total Gd. The lowest values of the sum REE were registered in tap waters of Gdańsk (sum of REE below 2.2 ng/L) with up to 17% of the anthropogenic Gd. Thus, our study showed the occurrence of the anthropogenic Gd in all analyzed tap waters. [Display omitted] •The occurrence of REE in tap water in Polish cities was studied.•REE concentrations were determined by seaFAST-ICP-QMS method.•Anthropogenic gadolinium was detected in all tap waters.•The highest fraction of anthropogenic Gd was found in Warszawa and Kraków.•The significant Gd anomaly was observed when rivers were used as water supplies.