No abstract

Western populations spend the vast majority of their time indoors, and can be exposed to a range of indoor pollutants that may have adverse effects on health. Scientists and regulators need to be able to understand and quantify the nature of the potential risks posed by the indoor environment. Epidemiological methods are available to investigate relationships between indoor pollutant exposure and health impacts, but involve many assumptions and have inherent uncertainties. To establish an accurate understanding of the knowledge base and a sound interpretation of the significance of the results obtained, it is essential that epidemiological study findings are not accepted uncritically and that the advantages/weaknesses of each design are fully understood. This overview identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the various epidemiological techniques used to study indoor air pollution, and considers the place of epidemiological data within the wider weight of evidence considerations necessary to establish causality of associations and accurately determine potential risk.It is evident that epidemiology remains a key science in the study of associations between indoor air pollutants and diseases like asthma, and a number of recommendations are made that may improve the application of this methodology and the interpretation of derived results.

Exposure to synthetic mineral fibres (SMF) may occur in a number of workplace scenarios. To protect worker health, a number of different organisations worldwide have assessed the health risk of these materials and established workplace exposure limits. This paper outlines the basic principles of risk assessment and the scientific methods used to derive valid (justifiable) occupational exposure limits (OELs) and goes on to show how, for SMF, and particularly for refractory ceramic fibre (otherwise known as aluminosilicate wool, RCF/ASW), the methods used and the associated outcomes differ widely. It is argued that the resulting differences in established OELs prevent consistent and appropriate risk management of SMF worldwide, and that development of a transparent and harmonised approach to fibre risk assessment and limit-setting is required.

Sustainable development requires decision making to incorporate multiple criteria, including environmental impacts based upon life cycle thinking. Within the oil industry, the application of life cycle approaches has tended to focus upon policy and corporate level, strategic decisions with concerns over the resource, and time demands precluding their application at the tactical/refinery level. Following a review of streamlined life cycle approaches, the authors have addressed these concerns by outlining a new approach that is tailored to suit decisions at the tactical level in oil refineries and is accessible to process engineers. Using a real problem at an oil refinery as a case study, this approach has been developed in greater depth and the application of life cycle thinking has been shown to aid the generation of alternatives and to provide the decision maker with valuable insights that can be considered alongside social and economic criteria. It is anticipated that this approach could facilitate the uptake of life cycle thinking at oil refineries, with potential applications at other large industrial facilities