Since the introduction of automotive exhaust catalysts in Europe beginning in 1984, an intensive discussion started about the emission of platinum and its effect on mankind and the environment.
Several platinum compounds are known to be potent sentisizers, even at very small doses. In spite of both the scientific and public interest in this important field, a realistic assessment of the bioavailability of platinum considering natural conditions was so far a lacking.
Following the leitmotif »bioavailability« the pathway of platinum from the car to the foodchain of man was here monitored investigating natural matrices:
1. Platinum speciation in a road dust sample, providing platinum in a form and matrix as it is originally emitted from catalytic converters.
2. Transformation behaviour of platinum in a soil, considering the two possible ways of dissolution (i.e. chemical pathway or micro-biotic transformation). Mobility of oxidized Pt species in a soil.
3. Bioaccumulation of platinum in nutrient plants, with respect to the human foodchain.
Without adequate and powerful separation and detection techniques these points could not be dealt with. Thus, sensitive analytical methods, including hyphenated techniques were adapted and enhanced for the accurate and precise determination of platinum is this ultra-low concentration range.