Step 1: Recall what makes a contrast medium dissolve safely in body fluids. Iodinated compounds can be synthesised as soluble salts, letting them be injected into vessels or swallowed without leaving a residue.
Step 2: Contrast that is water soluble is the agent of choice whenever a barium leak would be dangerous, such as a suspected gut perforation, and for all vascular and urinary tract studies.
Step 3: Rule out the rest. Barium sulphate is a heavy insoluble powder given as a suspension, not a solution. Bromine and calcium do not serve as contrast media at all.
Step 4: The single element that yields a water-soluble contrast is iodine.
\[\boxed{\text{Iodine}}\]