Rare earth elements (REE) in the urban wastewater of Cotonou (Benin, West Africa)

Anthropogenic Gd in urban river water

“…Wang et al (2013) did not find positive Eu anomalies in Hongfeng Lake, Aha Lake, and their tributaries. However, positive Eu anomalies usually occur in regions that have been affected by human activities (especially medically developed cities) like Sakai River (Itoh et al, 2017) and Cotonou's Watershed (Atinkpahoun et al, 2020). In addition to natural sources, anthropogenic activities may contribute to these anomalies.…”

Lifecycle of Gadolinium‐Based Contrast Agents

“…Based on the protocol outlined by Bau and Duski 20 using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS), groups studying densely populated and industrialized areas in Australia, 22,23 the USA, 24,25 Czech, 26 Sweden, 20 South Korea, 27 Germany, 28,29 France, 30,31 England, 29 Japan, 32,33 Brazil, 34 China, 35 Turkey, 36 and West Africa 37 have shown Gd anomalies in their rivers, lakes, and oceans. Groups 20,23,31,38–43 have compared samples from waters upstream and downstream of WWTPs and confirmed that Gd anomalies originate in WWTP effluents and are therefore of anthropogenic origin.…”

The Spreads and the Uniqueness of the Controversial Toxic Pharmaceutic Contrast Agents and Their Remediation.

“…Aside from the river Berlin in Germany, where it was rst detected, its presence in water has been reported worldwide from different countries and rural communities (Kulaksiz and Bau, 2011a; Kulaksiz and Bau, 2011b;Tepe et al, 2014;Brünjes et al, 2016;Brünjes and Hofmann, 2020). Contrary to earlier reports restricting anthropogenic Gd contamination to megacities with highly evolved health care systems, recent researches have con rmed its presence in wastewater obtained from low populated rural communities without MRI equipment or with less advanced health facilities (Rabiet et al, 2009; Fox-Rawlings and Zuckerman, 2019; Atinkpahoun et al, 2020) The application of magnetic ux and gradients provided by gadolinium is the earliest diagnostic imaging modality for several indications providing detailed anatomical details with a high spatial resolution (Wang et ). Medically, Gd used for image enhancement in MRI is chelated to mitigate against its toxicity and was therefore considered safe (Siew et al, 2020;Bellin and Van Der Molen, 2008).…”

“…The GBCAs administered during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) end up directly in coastal seawaters primarily through excretion from the patient's urine or hospital sewage disposals.Ideally, approximately 91 minutes is required to excrete GBCAS from a patient with healthy kidney function; however, it may take longer for a patient suffering from renal impairment. Increased Gd concentrations in water from rural areas with no MRI facilities have been attributed to many outpatients receiving MRI scans and returning home to release the Gd through their renal route(Atinkpahoun et al, 2020). The increasing Gd concentrations found in water systems and drinking water are of profound interest to both experts, policy makers, and the general public(Brünjes & Hofmann, 2020).Unfortunately, conventional and advanced wastewater treatment plants' treated water is still rich in highly stable Gd due to lack of / incomplete removal(Steinberg et al, 2020;Rogowska et al, 2018;Cyris et al, 2013).…”