Page 195 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

10 Life Cycle Impact Assessment 181

• Particulate matter formation
• Ionising radiation (human health, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems)
• Land Use (biotic productivity, aquifer recharge, carbon sequestration, albedo,
erosion, mechanical and chemical filtration capacity, biodiversity)
• Water use (human health, aquatic ecosystems, terrestrial ecosystems, ecosystem
services)
• Abiotic resource use (fossil and mineral)
• Biotic resource use (e.g. fishing or wood logging)
• Noise
• Pathogens
The characterisation at midpoint level of the elementary flows in the life cycle
inventory results in a collection of midpoint impact indicator scores, jointly referred
to as the characterised impact profile of the product system at midpoint level. This
profile may be reported as the result of the life cycle impact assessment, and it may
also serve as preparation for the characterisation of impacts at endpoint level.

10.2.3.7 Endpoint Impact Indicators

Additional modelling elements are used to expand or link midpoint indicators to
one or more endpoint indicator (sometimes also referred to as damage or severity).
These endpoint indicators are representative of different topics or “Areas of
Protection” (AoP) that “defend” our interests as a society with regards to human
health, ecosystems or planetary life support functions including ecosystem services
and resources, for example. As discussed, endpoint indicators are chosen further
down the cause–effect chain of the environmental mechanism closer to or at the
very endpoint of the chains—the Areas of Protection. The numerous different
midpoint indicators therefore all contribute to a relatively small set of endpoint
indicators as can be observed in Fig. 10.2. Although, different distinctions are
possible and exist, typical endpoint indicators are:
• Human health
• Ecosystem quality or natural environment
• Natural resources and ecosystem services
Therefore, the same list of impact categories as for midpoint indicators (see
above) applies to endpoint indicators but with a further distinction regarding which
of the three AoPs are affected (e.g. climate change usually has one midpoint
indicator, but two endpoint indicators, one for human health and one for ecosystem
quality—see Fig. 10.2). All endpoint indicators for the same AoP have a common
unit and can be summed up to an aggregated impact score per AoP (assuming equal
or different weighting of each endpoint indicator). Before aggregation, however, an
environmental profile on endpoint level is as detailed as on midpoint level and
allows for a contribution analysis of impact categories per AoP (e.g. which impact
category contributes the most to human health impacts). On midpoint level,