Positive gadolinium anomalies in wastewater treatment plant effluents and aquatic environment in the Hérault watershed (South France)

Anthropogenic gadolinium (Gd), used as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging, may enter rivers and groundwaters with the effluents of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Such contaminations, which are mainly found in densely populated areas with highly developed medical systems, induce positive gadolinium anomalies in waters. This study reports on the occurrence of positive Gd anomaly in wastewaters, surface and groundwaters in a slightly populated Mediterranean watershed. Water samples have been collected along the Hérault River, in its tributaries, in wells and springs supplying drinking water and in WWTP effluents during two sampling campaigns in February and July 2003. Systematically pronounced positive gadolinium anomalies (Gd/Gd∗) were observed in WWTP effluents with values reaching 306. These observations have shown that Gd/Gd∗ can also be found in wastewater drained from rural communities, not equipped with MRI facilities. Positive gadolinium anomalies were detected in two tributaries of the Hérault River and in some wells supplying drinking water, corresponding to an excess of anthropogenic Gd in water up to 15.4 pM. A monthly monitoring on one well has confirmed the persistence of gadolinium anomalies all along the year, suggesting a continual wastewater contamination on this site. A spatial monitoring on one tributary showed that wastewater contribution modifies completely the normalized REE pattern of river water, resulting in a decrease of REE amount correlated to the Gd anomaly appearance.