Assessment of environmental contamination risk by Pt, Rh and Pd from automobile catalyst

The main active components of present-day car catalysts are the noble metals Pt, Pd and Rh, belonging to the platinum group elements (PGEs). It is recognized that these elements are being spread into the environment to an as-yet incompletely known extent, mainly due to surface abrasion of the catalyst during car operation. These new pollutants have motivated extensive research on PGE determination. Our work is planned to ascertain the health and ecosystem risks of these PGEs emitted through a series of interrelated objectives that address the pathway of these elements from the catalyst to the different environmental compartments. Combined studies of catalyst surface abrasion and exhaust fumes analysis, the monitoring of Pt, Pd and Rh in airborne particles and road dust sediments and bioaccumulation studies in aquatic organisms, plants and urine enable a realistic assessment of the risk that this release represents for man and environment. In this work some previous results are presented.