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Precious Metals in Urban Aquatic Systems: Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium: Sources, Occurrence, Bioavailability and Effects

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Xenobiotics in the Urban Water Cycle

Part of the book series: Environmental Pollution ((EPOL,volume 16))

Abstract

The platinum group elements (PGE) belong to the rarest metals on our planet. During the last three decades three of the six PGE (platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd) and rhodium (Rh)) are found in increasing concentrations in different terrestrial and aquatic matrices. Anthropogenic sources of PGE are industrial discharges, road runoff as well as waste waters from hospitals and dental surgeries. As anthropogenic PGE are mostly emitted in elemental form, they were initially thought to be not relevant for biota. Laboratory studies, however, revealed that aquatic plants and animals are able to take up and accumulate PGE. Effect studies showed that animals exposed to PGE respond with increased levels of stress markers.

The most important factors influencing the bioavailability of PGE tend to be time, metal concentration in the medium, the chemical speciation of the metal and the presence of complexing agents. This chapter summarizes the present knowledge on the introduction of PGE into urban aquatic ecosystems and the behavior within these habitats. It draws attention to the increase of PGE contamination in different matrices, summarizes current PGE concentrations in the field, discusses the different bioavailability of Pt, Rh and Pd and evaluates the effects of PGE on aquatic organisms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Zoology/Hydrobiology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany

    Nadine Haus, Sonja Zimmermann & Bernd Sures

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  1. Nadine Haus
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  2. Sonja Zimmermann
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  3. Bernd Sures
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Correspondence to Nadine Haus .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus, Kallipoleos 75, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus

    Despo Fatta-Kassinos

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Aalborg University, Sohngaardsholmsvej 57, Aalborg, 9000, Denmark

    Kai Bester

  3. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University Medical Center Freiburg, Bresisacher Straße 115b, Freiburg, D 79106, Germany

    Klaus Kümmerer

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Haus, N., Zimmermann, S., Sures, B. (2010). Precious Metals in Urban Aquatic Systems: Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium: Sources, Occurrence, Bioavailability and Effects. In: Fatta-Kassinos, D., Bester, K., Kümmerer, K. (eds) Xenobiotics in the Urban Water Cycle. Environmental Pollution, vol 16. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3509-7_4

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