Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was optimized for speciation analysis of gadolinium-based contrast agents in environmental samples, in particular surface river waters and plants. Surface water samples from the Teltow channel, near Berlin, were investigated over a distance of 5 km downstream from the influx of a wastewater treatment plant. The total concentration of gadolinium increased significantly from 50 to 990 ng L(-1) due to the influx of the contrast agents. After complete mixing with the river water, the concentration remained constant over a distance of at least 4 km. Two main substances [Dotarem(®) (Gd-DOTA) and Gadovist(®) (Gd-BT-DO3A)] have been identified in the river water using standards. A gadolinium-based contrast agent, possibly Gd-DOTA (Dotarem(®)), was also detected in water plant samples taken from the Teltow channel. Therefore, uptake of contrast agents [Gadovist(®) (Gd-BTDO3A), Magnevist(®) (Gd-DTPA), Omniscan(®) (Gd-DTPA-BMA), Dotarem(®) (Gd-DOTA), and Multihance(®) (Gd-BOPTA)] by plants was investigated in a model experiment using Lepidium sativum (cress plants). HILIC-ICP-MS was used for identification of different contrast agents, and a first approach for quantification using aqueous standard solutions was tested. For speciation analysis, all investigated contrast agents could be extracted from the plant tissues with a recovery of about 54 % for Multihance(®) (Gd-BOPTA) up to 106 % for Gadovist(®) (Gd-BT-DO3A). These experiments demonstrate that all contrast agents investigated are transported from the roots to the leaves where the highest content was measured.