Gadolinium Timeline
1886—Finnish scientist J. Gadolin isolates and studies what will be called gadolinium, number 64 in the periodic table of elements. This highly toxic material will later be used in the manufacture of color television tubes, compact discs and computer memory, nuclear marine propulsion, as a secondary source for nuclear reactors and for magnetic resonance imaging tests.
1977—First MRI exam performed by Dr. Raymond Damadian.
1988—First of five gadolinium-based contrast agents gets Food and Drug Administration approval.
1997—Gadolinium-based contrast agents first used in MRIs.
2000—Dr. Shawn Cowper of Yale University School of Medicine is the first clinician to identify nephrogenic systemic fibrosis and its association with gadolinium.
2006—FDA issues a public health advisory about gadolinium and NSF, noting that there have been more than 200 cases have been reported worldwide.
2007—American College of Radiology revises its MRI practice guidelines, with risk-benefit assessments, saying that gadolinium should be used in the lowest doses possible.
2007—FDA gives “black-box” warning to all contrast agents containing gadolinium.
March 2007—John G. Walker of Cleveland files suit Tyco International, maker of OptiMARK, one of the most commonly used brands of gadolinium. Walker alleges that he contracted nephrogenic systemic fibrosis from an MRI in which OptiMARK was used.
March 2007—Health Canada urges doctors and radiologists to carefully consider all risks and benefits before performing MRIs on people with kidney disease.
May 2007—Dr. Cowper leads inaugural symposium on NSF and MRI contrast at Yale.
July 2007—Scientists find more evidence of the link between gadolinium-based contrast agents and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.