Monitoring the presence and distribution of platinum and rhodium in urban soils of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, Spain) and its possible impact on human health.

The constant urban and demographic development has led to the emergence of new risks to human health in the urban environment. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the presence of metals and metalloids in urban soils, including the presence of metals that have been very little studied such as the elements of the platinum group (PGE) platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd) and rhodium (Rh). Given the growing concern about the harmful effects of these new pollutants to human health, have determined the levels of these metals in the soils of different areas of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). The accumulation of Pt and Rh has been significantly lower than those observed in soils of other cities worldwide. The industrial area and the center of the city contain significantly higher levels of PGEs due to the higher volume of traffic, type of driving stop / start, industrial activity and the proximity of Prince of Asturias hospital. However, the levels found would appear to pose a minimum risk to the health of Alcalá’s population, although more studies are necessary. Thus, the establishment of oral and inhalation reference doses (RfDo and RFCI) for PGEs is necessary in order to establish protocols to protect human health in the urban environment.