The application of palladium (Pd) containing automotive catalytic converters has led to increasing Pd concentrations in our environment. Approximately 90% of the traffic-caused Pd emissions are released as particulate matter. An assessment of the ecotoxicologic risks arising from traffic-caused Pd emissions requires both, the monitoring of Pd immission in different environmental compartments and the study of mobility and bioavailability of Pd species. Therefore, palladium contents of road tunnel dusts, sewage sludge ashes, and road-side soils were measured and are presented in the first part of this work. In the second part, different kind of palladium particles, similar to those emitted from car converters, were synthesized, characterized, and applied in exposure studies with barley plants, kiwi fruit pollen, and human blood cells. Finally, in cooperation with biologists the toxicological effects of palladium were investigated.
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The application of palladium (Pd) containing automotive catalytic converters has led to increasing Pd concentrations in our environment. Approximately 90% of the traffic-caused Pd emissions are released as particulate matter. An assessment of the ecotoxicologic risks arising from traffic-caused Pd emissions requires both, the monitoring of Pd immission in different environmental compartments and the study of mobility and bioavailability of Pd species. Therefore, palladium contents of road tunnel...
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