What is Environmental Impact?

Module: Objective
Having read this, you should know the following:
1.

Basic definitions and notion of environmental load and impact Real life examples of impact

2.

Environmental Load versus Impact

There is a difference between environmental load and environmental impact Environmental Load: A loading is put on the environment, e.g., by removing trees or water, or dumping waste. Environmental Impact: The load is actually causing a change in the environment. Typically, environmental impact is negative, but positive impacts can also occur. Note the similarity with mechanical loading, stresses, strains, and failures 3

Measuring Environmental Loading and Impact

Because of the diversity of opinions, a unifying measure of environmental load and impact (for engineering purposes) does not exist.

Most design researchers (and practitioners) agree that: Technical systems convert matter, energy and information into more useful matter energy and information. However, unwanted consumptions and emissions of energy, matter (and information) occur as well.
Environmental impact is caused by matter and energy consumption and emission throughout products life cycles.
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Scope of environmental impacts

LifeCycle Stages

Materials Energy

Materials Energy

Materials Energy

Materials Energy

Raw Materials Extraction

Pollution Control

Chemical Processing

Product Manufacturing
Pollution Control

Use, Reuse, Disposal

Wastes

Wastes

Wastes

Wastes

Midpoints global warming ozone depletion smog formation acidification ecological harm Endpoint 5 Human health and ecosystem damage

Global warming and related impacts

Materials Energy Products

Cause and Effect Chain

Chemical Processing

greenhouse gas emissions CO2, CH4, N2O

climate change; sea level change

human mortality or life adjustments

O3

N2 O

CH4 CO2

CFCs
Contribution to global Warming

Stratospheric ozone and related impacts

Cause and Effect Chain

Materials Energy
Products

Chemical Processing

ozone depleting substances CFCs, HCFCs

ozone layer loss increase in uv

human mortality or life adjustments ecosystem damage

Smog formation and related impacts(NOx/SOx)

Materials Energy

Products

Cause and Effect Chain

Chemical Processing

NOx and volatile organic substances

photochemical oxidation reactions

human/ecological damage from O3 and other oxidants

6 5

NOx
2

7 6

1 - Chemical & Allied Processing 2 - Petroleum & Related Industries 3 - Metals Processing, 4 - Other Industrial Processes 5 - Solvent Utilization, 6 - Storage & Transportation 7 - Waste Disposal & Recycling
3 4

VOCs

Acid rain / Acid deposition

Materials Energy Products SO2 and NOx emission to air

Cause and Effect Chain

Chemical Processing

Acidification rains. & acid deposition

human/ecological damage from H+ and heavy metals

5 4

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1 - Chemical & Allied Processing 2 - Petroleum & Related Industries 3 - Metals Processing 4 - Other Industrial Processes 5 - Solvent Utilization 6 - Storage & Transportation 7 - Waste Disposal & Recycling

Human health toxicity

Materials Energy Products Toxic releases to air, water, and soil Transport, fate, exposure pathways & routes Human health damage; carcinogenic & non...

Chemical Processing

Hazardous Waste

Transportation Equipment 7%

All Other Industries 16%

Toxic Waste

Primary Metals 8% Petroleum Refining 9%

Chemical / Allied Products 51% Electronic Equipment 9%

Rubber and Miscellaneous Petroleum Plastics 3% Refining 3%

All Other Industries 23%

Chemical and Allied Products 27% Primary Metals 22%

Paper and Allied Products 5% Transportation 5% Fabricated Metals 6%

Electronic Equipment 6%

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Risk assessment: important questions

What are the risks associated with a chemical, manufacturing process, or use of a product? How is risk quantified by professional risk assessors?

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Risk assessment: introductory concepts

Risk = F(exposure x hazard)

Steps in risk assessment

Hazard assessment Exposure assessment Dose/response relationships Risk characterization

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Hazard assessment
Indicators of chemical toxicology
Carcinogenic effects - Slope Factor (SF), Weight of Evidence (WOE) classification Non-carcinogenic effects - No Observable Adverse Effects Level (NOAEL), Reference Dose (RfD), Reference Concentration (RfC), Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL), Threshold Limit Value (TLV)

Sources of Data for Health Effects

1. The Material Safety Data Sheet - MSDS 2. Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) 3. National Library of Medicine

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Exposure assessment

Occupational Exposure- exposure to people in the workplace Community Exposure- exposure outside the workplace Exposure Assessment Methodology - Community Exposure

1. Identify all waste stream components and concentrations 2. Estimate release rates to the air, water, and soil 3. Choose proper exposure pathways (through environment) and routes (into humans) 4. Determine exposure concentrations at the point of exposure to humans using measurements or an environmental fate and transport model

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Exposure assessment
Exposure Routes 1. Inhalation 2. Ingestion 3. Dermal (skin) Multiple pathways are possible

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