Evidence of increased anthropogenic emissions of platinum: Time-series analysis of mussels (1991-2011) of an urban beach

Abstract

The anthropogenic emissions of Pt to the environment have increased significantly over the past decades, especially after the introduction of the catalytic converters in motor vehicles. In order to check whether this is affecting the levels of this trace metal on living organisms, time-series analysis of freeze-dried soft tissue material of wild mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) covering the period from 1991 to 2001 and collected at an urban beach in the city of Vigo (NW Iberian Peninsula) was conducted. Concentrations ranged from 0.30 to 0.68 ng g− 1 with an average concentration of 0.47 ± 0.10 ng g− 1 (n = 21); these concentrations were higher than those obtained for samples collected at a control location away from anthropogenic pressure (0.31 ± 0.10 ng g− 1; n = 5). Platinum concentrations followed a statistically significant temporal trend (at the 0.020 level), and the excess of Pt in mussels over the 1991–2011 period compared to the control location were correlated with the European Pt autocatalyst demand (p = 0.0006) and, especially, the car sales in Spain (p = 0.0001). A bioaccumulation factor of ~ 5·103 was derived, which is greater than those previously calculated for Pt from exposure experiments, but 1–2 orders of magnitude lower than other trace elements (e.g. Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd)