Automotive Catalysts -- Release of Particulate and Acid Soluble Palladium from Catalytic Converters into the Environment -- Use and Demand of Palladium for the Industry -- Regional Distribution of Pd, Pt and Au-Emissions from the Nickel Industry on the Kola Peninsula, NW-Russia, as Seen in Moss and Humus Samples -- Analysis of Palladium by High Resolution ICP-MS -- Determination of Palladium in Environmental Samples by ICP-MS after Preconcentration / Separation -- Sources of Error and their Elimination for Spectrometric Determination of Palladium in Environmental Samples -- Collision Cell ICP-MS as Tool for the Determination of Palladium -- Solid Sampling GFAAS and ICPMS for the Determination of Trace Amounts of Palladium -- Preconcentration and Separation Methods for the Determination of Trace Palladium in Environmental Samples -- Analytical Problems and Validation of Methods for Determination of Palladium in Environmental Materials -- ICP-MS and Te Co-Precipitation after Nickel Sulphide Fire-Assay Collection for Pd Determination in Roadside Soils -- Determination of Ultra-Trace Levels of Palladium in Environmental Samples by Graphite Furnace Atomic Spectrometry Techniques -- Determination of palladium in road dust and sewage sludge ashes -- Speciation of Palladium in Plants: Method Development for Investigating Metabolic Changes -- Analytical Procedure for the Quantification of in vitro Induced Pt- and Pd-DNA Adducts in Human Lung Cells -- HPLC, Extraction and Solubilities of Pd (II) - und Rh (III)-Dialkyldithiocarbamates and Other Chelate Chemistry -- Analytical Methods to Determine Palladium in Environmental Matrices: A Review -- Regional and Global Transport of Platinum Group Elements from Automobile Catalysts -- Palladium in Waste Waters and Surface Waters of North Rhine-Westfalia -- Anthropogenic Emission of Pd and Traffic-Related PGEs - Results Based on Monitoring with Sewage Sludge -- The Importance of Assessing Variability in the Distribution of Anthropogenic Palladium, Platinum and Rhodium in Fluvial Sediments -- Man-Induced Changes of Palladium in Polar and Alpine Snow and Ice Archives -- Palladium in a Mountain Ecosystem (Aspe Valley, Pyrenees, France) -- Short-Term Variation of Palladium in Airborne Particulate Matter -- Palladium in Airborne Particulate Matter: Total Concentrations and Particle Size Distribution -- Source Characterization of Platinum Group Elements Using the Isotopic Composition of Osmium -- Temporal and Spatial Variation of Palladium in the Roadside Environment -- Spatial and Temporal Variation of Anthropogenic Palladium in the Environment -- Palladium in Environmental Matrices: A Review -- Biological Effects of Palladium -- Uptake of Palladium by the Fauna -- Biomonitoring of Palladium in the Environment Using Different Accumulation Indicators -- Biomonitoring of Pt and Pd with Mosses -- Distribution of Palladium, Platinum and Rhodium in Birds of Prey -- Contact Dermatitis to Palladium -- Palladium Occupational Exposure -- Palladium from Catalytic Converters: Exposure Levels and Human Risk -- Palladium Toxicity in Animals and in in vitro Test Systems - An Overview. In 2004 an amount of 187 tons of palladium has been sold in world market. The main demands were automotive catalyst (58%), electronics (14%), jewellery (14%) and dental practises (13%). Especially, the increasing use of palladium in catalytic converters is a reason for substantial research in this field. Emission, environmental distribution and possible health effects of pla- num have been summarized detailed in two recent books "Emissionen von Platinmetallen: Analytik, Umwelt- und Gesundheitsrelevanz" and "Anth- pogenic Platinum Group Emissions - Their Impact on Man and Envir- ment" published by Springer in 1999 and 2000 (Zereini & Alt (Eds)). But there is a clear lack of information concerning palladium. It is very imp- tant to condense the present state of research findings from emission to potential health risks for the environment and humans. Very important is the chapter about analytical determination of pal- dium, which shows clearly the problems of several analytical techniques. Some data published during the last decade have to be re-evaluated because of insufficient analytical techniques. Also the finding that palladium c- pounds are relatively soluble and mobile in environmental settings is a great issue for further investigations. I think it is the right time for such a comprehensive book about palladium research and I am sure that readers with different scientific background like chemists, biologists, geologists medical doctors e.g. will benefit very much from reading this book.