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Estimating the size of the problems related to release, fate, exposure and effects from the human use of chemical substances in materials and consumer products is daunting. More than 100,000 chemical substances are in commercial use and a reasonable description of their existence in, and release from, plastic polymers, glues, paints, fibres, lubric...
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In this research, untreated and surface-treated wooden facades of buildings are investigated and compared with regard to durability, environmental impact, and cost using the document and literature studies supplemented with quantitative data. The investigation is based on the influence on the wood by external factors, either in its natural form or...
Citations
... An example from this study is the chemical preparations where only chemicals produced/imported by at least three companies or present in at least four products are available in the SPIN database. The database also excluded information on solid articles (See Rydberg et al., 2011 for an attempt to cover such emissions), foodstuffs, cosmetics as well as compounds produced/imported at low amounts (see Methods). Thus, the results of the model do not cover all possible emissions of consumer chemicals use. ...
Chemical emissions from households originate from a wide range of sources and results in highly diverse mixtures. This makes traditional monitoring based on analytical chemistry challenging, especially for compounds that appear in low concentrations. We therefore developed a method for predicting emissions of chemicals from households into wastewater, relying on consumption patterns from multiple data sources. The method was then used to predict the emissions of chemical preparations, chemicals leaching from textiles and prescription pharmaceuticals in Sweden. In total we predicted emissions of 2007 chemicals with a combined emission of 62,659 tonnes per year – or 18 g/person and day. Of the emitted chemicals, 2.0% (w/w) were either classified as hazardous to the environment or were both persistent and mobile. We also show that chemical emissions come from a wide range of uses and that the total emission of any individual chemical is determined primarily by its use pattern, not by the total amount used. This emphasizes the need for continuous updates and additional knowledge generation both on emission factors and excretion rates as well as a need for improved reporting on the intended use of individual chemicals. Finally, we scrutinize the model and its uncertainty and suggest areas that need improvement to increase the accuracy of future emission modelling. We conclude that emission modelling can help guide environmental monitoring and provide input into management strategies aimed at reducing the environmental effect caused by hazardous chemicals.
... Developing a calculation methodology that can accurately predict shortterm and long-term emissions based on product design and material content will make it feasible to include these aspects already in the design phase, for example integrated in CAD software. Such models can also have societal relevance, considering the scale of emissions from products in a national or regional perspective (Rydberg et al. 2012). The third challenge is the relationship between the calculated intake fraction and real-life situations, where factors such as mixing, sorption, desorption and multiple emission sources and sinks are present. ...
Purpose
Indoor emissions of toxic substances from products can have a negative effect on human health. These are typically not considered in a life cycle assessment (LCA), potentially underestimating the importance of the use stage. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method that, based on a set of measured emission rates, calculates the impact on human health during the use stage of products that are used indoors and that emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Methods
Emissions from a product are measured in a test chamber and reported as a set of emission rates (microgrammes per hour) at specific points in time (hour/day). Constrained non-linear regression (CNLR) analysis is then used to determine parameters for three emission models, and a model is selected based on goodness of fit with the measured emission rates (R
2 and expert judgement). The emission model is integrated over a defined time period to estimate the total use stage emissions per functional unit (FU). The total emissions are subsequently integrated in a homogeneously mixed one-box model within the USEtox model. Intake fraction (iF) is calculated based on size of residential home, inhalation rate, exposure time, ventilation rate, mixing factor and number of people exposed.
Results and discussion
The method is tested in a case study of a chair, with the results showing that the impacts in the use stage are in most cases significantly higher than from the production and disposal stages combined. The sensitivity to parameter variations is evaluated. Intake fraction (factor of 761), replacement frequency (factor of 70) and emission model (factor of 24) are found to be the most important model parameters. Limiting early exposure (>14 % of emissions may occur in the first month and >50 % in the first year) and replacing furniture less frequently will reduce exposure.
Conclusions
The case study shows that the impact on human health from indoor emissions can be of significance, when compared to the impact on human health from total outdoor emissions. Without specific exposure data (e.g. ventilation rates) the uncertainty will be high. The developed method is applicable to all products that emit VOCs, provided that the emission rate can be modelled using an exponential decay model and that the product amount is related to a meaningful functional unit. It is recommended that when performing an LCA of products that emit VOCs, the indoor use stage is included in the life cycle impact assessment.
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a useful tool to assess impacts of cradle-to-grave chains of products/services. In the Riskcycle framework, the focus is on additives. Additives are usually minor constituents of products, but depending on their specific properties they can be important in the total scope of impacts of such products. In the LCA literature, additives are hardly visible. Most case studies of products containing additives do not mention them. The reasons for this are unclear, but are at least partly due to the fact that information on additives is not included in standard LCA databases. This is true for both life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) databases. Therefore, it is difficult to conclude whether or not additives indeed are important contributors to environmental impacts over the life cycle.
In the Riskcycle project, we have addressed these knowledge gaps for two categories of materials: plastics and paper (printed matter). Case studies have been conducted for products containing those materials (Larsen, 2012, Case study on printed matter, Hdb Env Chem; van Oers and van der Voet, 2012, LCA case study cushion vinyl floor covering and DEHP, Hdb Env Chem). A coherent attempt has been made to derive LCIA factors for toxicity for a large number of plastics- and paper-related additives (Åström et al., 2012, Are chemicals in products good or bad for the society? – the economic perspective, Hdb Env Chem. doi:10. 1007/ 698_ 2012_ 184). In this chapter, we summarize and generalize these findings and try to establish a coherent framework for LCA studies of products containing additives. In this framework, we distinguish three relevant levels that have to be part of such LCA studies: the product level, the material level and the additive level. We also establish the relation of LCA toxicity assessments with risk-based approaches.
In order to assess the environmental impact of the Swedish building and property (real estate) management sector, a new top-down life cycle assessment (LCA) method was used which was based on input–output analysis using national statistical data. Six indicators were developed as suitable for environmental monitoring of the sector: energy use; emissions of greenhouse gases; emissions of nitrogen oxides; emissions of particulates; use of hazardous chemical products; and generation of waste. These indicators were then used to describe the environmental performance of the sector over a 15-year period in order to monitor change and improvement. The use of energy and emissions to air can be effectively followed in time-series. These indicators could be used to create incentives to evaluate regularly improvement work and to inform policy and practice. For greenhouse gas emissions, a trend was identified for space heating to become less important than construction and management towards the end of the period studied, most likely due to a transition from fossil fuels to renewable fuels for heat production. Key implications will be on the selection of building materials, the construction process and the extension of building longevity.
Afin d'évaluer l'impact environnemental du secteur suédois de la gestion des immeubles et des biens (immobilier), il a été utilisé une nouvelle méthode descendante d'évaluation du cycle de vie (ECV) qui était basée sur une analyse des intrants et des extrants utilisant les données statistiques nationales. Six indicateurs ont été élaborés comme étant adaptés à un suivi environnemental du secteur : consommation énergétique; émissions de gaz à effet de serre; émissions d'oxydes d'azote; émissions de particules; utilisation de produits chimiques dangereux; et production de déchets. Ces indicateurs ont ensuite été utilisés pour décrire les performances environnementales du secteur sur une période de 15 ans afin de suivre les changements et les améliorations. La consommation d'énergie et les émissions dans l'air peuvent être suivies de manière efficace au moyen des séries chronologiques. Ces indicateurs pourraient être utilisés pour créer des mesures incitatives visant à évaluer régulièrement les travaux d'amélioration et à documenter les politiques et les pratiques. Concernant les émissions de gaz à effet de serre, une tendance à ce que le chauffage des locaux devienne moins important que la construction et la gestion a été identifiée vers la fin de la période étudiée, très probablement en raison d'un passage des énergies fossiles aux énergies renouvelables pour la production de chaleur. Les principales implications concerneront le choix des matériaux de construction, le processus de construction et le prolongement de la longévité des bâtiments.
Mots clés: gestion des immeubles et des biens immobiliers, changement climatique, indicateurs environnementaux, suivi environnemental, analyse des intrants et des extrants, évaluation du cycle de vie (ECV), Suède
