Platinum [Pt, 78]

Platinum contents in sewage sludge of some cities in Germany varied from 86 to 266 g/kg. The estimation of its emission from motor vehicles varies, and recent calculations showed that it might be between 0.5 and 0.8 g Pt/km. Platinum emitted from motor vehicles is deposited mainly as suspended particles on the plant surface. Platinum from the road dust, however, can be solubilized and enters into water, sediments, soils, and the food chain. Research in the field of Platinum-based cancer chemotherapy showed that cisplatin and its analogous compounds exhibit very similar patterns of antitumor sensitivity and susceptibility to resistance, which means that most of them produce identical adducts with DNA. The International Agency for Research on Cancer considered the evidence for carcinogenicity of cisplatin for animals to be sufficient, but that for humans inadequate. Platinum distribution in surface soils shows a positive correlation with traffic flow.