Platinum Group Elements in the Environment: Emissions and Exposure - Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - page 129

PGE use, in various industries, has dramatically increased emissions of these met-
als to the environment; emissions from vehicle catalytic converters and hospital
wastewater discharges are particularly significant.
The environmental benefits of using PGEs in vehicle catalytic converters are clear.
These metals catalyze the conversion of toxic constituents of exhaust fumes (CO,
HCs, NO x s) to water, CO 2 , and molecular nitrogen. As a result of adverse physico-
chemical and mechanical influences on the catalyst surface, PGEs are released from
this layer and are emitted into the environment in exhaust fumes. Research results
indicate that the levels of such emissions are rather low (ng km −1 ). However, recent
data show that certain chemical forms of PGEs emitted from vehicles are, or may be,
bioavailable. Hence, the potential for PGEs to bioaccumulate in different environ-
mental compartments should be studied, and, if necessary, addressed.
The use of Pt in anticancerous drug preparations also contributes to environmental
burdens. Pt, when administered as a drug, is excreted in a patient's urine and, as a
consequence, has been observed in hospital and communal wastewater discharges.
Few studies have been published that address bioavailability, mode of penetra-
tion into live organisms, or environmental fate of PGEs. The toxic effect of these
metals on living organisms, including humans, is still in dispute and incompletely
elucidated. Contrary to some chlorine complexes of Pt, which most frequently
cause allergic reactions, the metallic forms of PGEs are probably inert; however,
they may undergo transformation to biologically available forms after release to the
environment.
Because exposure to PGEs may result in health hazards, it is necessary to evalu-
ate the risks of human exposure to these metals. Available data show that the high-
est exposed groups (Leœniewska et al. 2001) are individuals who work in refineries,
chemical plants, electronics plants, jewelry production, oncological wards (medical
personnel), and road maintenance; also highly exposed are women who have sili-
cone breast implants. The effects of PGE exposure in live organisms include the
following: asthma, miscarriage, nausea, hair loss, skin diseases, and, in humans,
other serious health problems. As production and use of PGEs grow, there is a com-
mensurate need to generate additional experimental and modeling data on them;
such data would be designed to provide a better understanding of the environmental
disposition and influence on human health of the PGEs.

Acknowledgment This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of
Poland, Grant No. N N523 4410 33.

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