There are millions of cars on the road in the United States, and each is a source of air pollution. In an attempt to stem this pollution, cities, states and the federal government create clean-air laws that restrict the amount of pollution that cars can produce. One of these auto production changes came about in 1975 with a device called a catalytic converter. What does a catalytic converter do, exactly? The job of the catalytic converter is to convert harmful pollutants into less harmful emissions before they ever leave the car's exhaust system. All over the country, SUVs and trucks have become targets for opportunists looking to cash in on the valuable precious metals used inside catalytic converters. A standard catalytic converter contains several hundred dollars worth of platinum, palladium and rhodium. The ground clearance on trucks and SUVs makes for easy access to the converters, so all a thief needs is a reciprocating saw and about 60 seconds. This trend has police on the lookout in many parts of the country where this kind of theft has been a problem. Police caution SUV and truck drivers to park in busy, well-lit areas.
