by Brian Byrne. Scientists in the US are calling for a better design of catalytic convertors after discovering that the concentrations of noble metals used in the process are almost worth recovering from soil alongside roads.The metals come from worn and broken automobile catalysts, and more than 50,000 used converters were examined in the study.
Researchers have detected increased platinum group metals values in birds, water beetles, tree bark, snow, lake sediments and even in the urine of traffic policemen.
In general PGM are considered not to pose a health risk, though it is known that they can accumulate in ecosystems and enter the food chain.
