Professor Alberto Guadagnini of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, interviewed by Horizon Magazine, talks about the aims of the REMEDI project (Trapping and Removal of X-ray Contrast Medium agents from water resource and stream Sediments- New Concepts in Trapping, Recycling and Management).

Unfortunately, many swallowed medicines end in the environment, causing potential risks both for the fauna and for human health. For fixing this issue, the project intends to study new techniques for removing X-ray contrast medium agents from water and soil. But that’s not all. The key point is not only removing, but also recycle them: “Iodine and barium (which are used in contrast media) are valuable compounds. It would be far better for them to be used again by industry than to accumulate in the environment”, says prof. Guadagnini.

Although the project is just at the beginning, these topics are getting more and more significant in the public debate, and the wotking group hopes that the interest related to these problems will increase because “The knowledge about environmental risks is still incomplete” – A. Guadagnini.

Read the complete interview here.