Page 378 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

362 6 From LCA to Sustainability Assessment

An improvable phase of LCA, particularly with respect to sustainability assess-
ment, is the impact assessment, the elaboration of which has deliberately been
left open by ISO. In Chapter 4 numerous new developments, which are still being
tested, have been discussed. A mismatch concerning the impacts of emissions of
chemical origin and other emissions or stressors should be indicated here. 28) To
illustrate this situation, impact categories that are arranged differently by from the
29)
usual mode (Section 4.5), and two categories are added :
A: Consumption of resources
B: Impacts of chemical emissions
C: Impacts of physical emissions
D: Impacts of biological emissions
E: Other impacts.

A: Consumption of resources
A1: Consumption of abiotic resources (including water)
A2: Consumption of biotic resources
A3: Land use.
These categories are entirely compatible to input related impact categories of the
Centrum voor Milieukunde Leiden (CML) method. 30)
B: Impact of chemical emissions
B1: Climate change
B2: Stratospheric ozone depletion
B3: Formation of photo-oxidants
B4: Acidification
B5: Eutrophication
B6: Human toxicity
B7: Eco-toxicity
B8: Odour.
Comprising eight impact categories, often with additional subcategories, 31) this
group is the strongest and practically dominates every impact assessment by
the number of components. This ‘chemical preponderance’ is undoubtedly an
unintended side-effect of the triumph of the CML method. 32)

C: Impacts of physical emissions
C1: Noise
C2: Ionising radiation (radioactivity)
C3: Waste heat.
This group, practically not considered much, comprises physical emissions,
which may have secondary physiological and psychological impacts.

28) This lead to the false impression that chemistry is the base of noxity, see Kl¨ opffer (2003b).
29) Kl¨ opffer and Renner (2003) and Kl¨ opffer (2006a).
30) Heijungs et al. (1992) and Guin´ ee et al. (2002).
31) Guin´ ee et al. (2002).
32) Kl¨ opffer (2006b).