One of the unexpected results of the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic impact is an exponential increase in catalytic converter thefts.

The converters are pollution-control devices required by federal law. They mitigate the toxicity of exhaust gases.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the number of catalytic converter thefts soared from about 1,300 in 2018 to more than 52,000.

The reason for the thefts is the value of three precious metals. Each converter contains between three and seven grams of platinum, from two to seven grams of palladium, and from one to two grams of rhodium. Prices for all three metals have soared due to supply chain disruptions.

Last week, rhodium was $432 a gram on world markets. Palladium was more than $60 a gram and platinum was above $31 per gram.

Thieves don’t get market prices. They have to give a discount to the party that buys the stolen converters.

However, consumers who have to replace a stolen converter must pay the market price for a new one, which can be as much as $2,000.

Thefts have become not only more frequent but more brazen. Several car dealers have arrived at lots some mornings to find that converters are gone from many vehicles.

In October, thieves removed converters from five buses in a Bucks County holding lot.

Gov. Tom Wolf recently signed a law increasing criminal classifications and penalties for converter thefts, but that does not offer much deterrence.

The state needs to attack the illicit supply chain. It should require all parts and scrap dealers to record information on the sellers of used converters, and establish severe financial penalties for failing to do so or trading in stolen converters.

— Republican & Herald, Pottsville via TNS