Page 218 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

202 4 Life Cycle Impact Assessment

are included (see also Section 4.2) so that something can be learned to aid future
developments of impact assessment.
The method of the impact categories, mainly developed at the Institute of
Environmental Science Leiden (CML) 56) is based on the idea of the ‘environmental
problem fields’. It has also been proposed to the German Federal Environmental
Agency Berlin including some modifications, 57) and has been generally accepted
by both the Code of Practice of SETAC 58) and by the international standardisation
process of ISO 14042. 59)
The basic idea of the method is to coordinate between existing inventory data
and a list of environmental problem fields or impact categories as quantitatively as
possible by means of classification (Section 4.3.2.2) and characterisation (Section
4.3.2.3). Potential damages or harmful effects of the examined product system are
thus to be perceived and to be approximately quantified. A list of environmental
problem fields is always incomplete because it can only correspond to the current
level of knowledge and the public reception of environmental problems.

4.4.2
First (‘Historical’) Lists of the Environmental Problem Fields

Experts of a working group of the SETAC Europe LCA symposium in Leiden
60)
(December 1991 ) suggested the following list, which was supposed to cover with
the smallest possible overlap the most important acknowledged environmental
problems. To date it still represents the basis of most category lists.
• scarce, renewable resources;
• non-renewable resources (raw material);
• global warming;
• ozone depletion;
• human toxicity;
• environmental toxicity;
• acidification;
• eutrophication;
• COD discharge;
• photo oxidant formation;
• space requirement;
• nuisance (smell, noise);
• occupational safety;
• final solid waste (hazardous);
• final solid waste.
The problem field fresh and drinking water was neither listed by the experts nor
addressed during subsequent discussions. The same applies for the upstream

56) Heijungs et al. (1992), Udo de Haes (1996) and Guin´ ee et al. (2002).
57) Kl¨ opffer and Renner (1995).
58) SETAC (1993).
59) ISO (2000a)
60) SETAC Europe (1992a,b)