Combining LCA and RA for the integrated risk management of emerging technologies

Abstract

Emerging risks of innovative technologies, like for instance nanotechnology, require proactive assessments in order to guarantee that their future materials and products will not result in adverse effects on health, safety and the environment. The combination of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Risk Assessment (RA) offers a systematic approach to identify and assess potential impacts. LCA is a well-known analytical tool, standardised in ISO 14040-14044, to assess the environmental impact of the entire life-cycle of a product or service. Its strengths are the systematic approach to analyse all life-cycle stages of complex systems. Integrated risk management can benefit in various ways from LCA. Firstly, LCA offers a new dimension to the safety paradigm, exploring the principles and synergies between LCA and RA. Secondly, LCA offers a systematic approach to analyse the risks of innovative technologies along their entire life-cycle (from design, building, maintenance, operation to decommissioning). Thirdly, LCA offers an analytical tool to quantify the environmental impact of emerging technologies. In combination with RA, LCA can provide scientifically sound information for the early assessment of potential impacts on health, safety and the environment.

Towards More Holistic Environmental Impact Assessment: Hybridisation of Life Cycle Assessment and Quantitative Risk Assessment

“…The inclusion of toxicological risk assessment into LCA is the most common approach [43]. It has been done in many of the existing LCA methods including IMPACT 2002+ and ReCiPe 2008.…”

Setting the stage for debating the roles of risk assessment and life-cycle assessment of engineered nanomaterials

“…The debate on the relationships between RA and LCA has been going on now for over two decades [38][39][40][41][42] . The main topics discussed include how RA expertise and models can be used within the framework of LCA [43][44][45][46][47] , how to include metal-specific models 48 , metabolites 49 , spatial differentiation [50][51][52][53][54] and multi-substance impacts 55 , and how to define and develop new approaches for pollutants is not yet covered [56][57] .…”

Environmental and Safety Issues of Polymers and Polymeric Material in the Printing Industry

“…According to the differentiation of these two approaches, a consideration of the risk assessment within LCA (Askham, Gade, & Hanssen, 2012) or visa-versa (Breedveld, 2013) has potential to give additional information. Research exploit the synergetic relationship between LCA and tools on toxic assessment and to reach environmental sustainable products Hellweg et al, 2009;Walser et al, 2013).…”