Tracking the distribution of persistent and mobile wastewater-derived substances in the southern and central North Sea using anthropogenic gadolinium from MRI contrast agents as a far-field tracer.

Autor: Kraemer D; Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hannover, Germany. Electronic address: dennis.kraemer@bgr.de., Schmidt K; Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hannover, Germany., Klimpel F; School of Science, Constructor University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany., Rauch U; Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hannover, Germany., Ernst DM; School of Science, Constructor University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany., Paul SAL; School of Science, Constructor University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany; GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, 24148 Kiel, Germany., Haeckel M; GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, 24148 Kiel, Germany., Koschinsky A; School of Science, Constructor University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany., Bau M; School of Science, Constructor University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Marine pollution bulletin [Mar Pollut Bull] 2024 Oct; Vol. 207, pp. 116794. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Aug 17.
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116794
Abstrakt: The use of the rare earth element gadolinium (Gd) in contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging has led to a significant (micro-)contamination of riverine and coastal environments in many parts of the world. This study comprises a detailed investigation on the rare earth elements and yttrium inventory of the North Sea and also reports data for the major tributaries Thames, Rhine, Ems, Weser and Elbe. We show that large parts of the southern North Sea, including the Wadden Sea UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, are (micro)contaminated with Gd from Gd-based contrast agents (GBCA). Their dispersion reveals their estuarine input and allows to effectively track water masses and currents. The chemical persistence and conservative behavior of GBCA, coupled with the low detection limits of state-of-the-art analytical methods, makes the anthropogenic Gd a sensitive screening proxy for monitoring similarly stable, but potentially hazardous, persistent chemical/pharmaceutical substances in natural waters.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Andrea Koschinsky reports financial support was provided by German Research Foundation. Michael Bau reports financial support was provided by European Union. Michael Bau reports financial support was provided by Research Council of Norway. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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