Aspects and impacts analysis

The primary environmental management system, however, is not EMAS but ISO 14000. This is an international standard for which companies can seek accreditation from recognised independent auditors. Central to the standard is the requirement to xmdertake an Aspects and Impacts Analysis. This requires companies to evaluate which aspect of their operations have the greatest impact on the environment (air, water, work etc.). Those with highest impacts are expected to be tackled by the development of suitable control strategies. 

Table 5.2.2 Example of environmental aspects and impacts analysis...

Improvement Objectives that are established to make specific defined improvements. They can be responding to high risks identified by the Aspects and Impacts Analysis or to a recognised lack of legal compliance. 

These audits are conducted by members from the organisation itself who have been trained and are competent in audit processes. While quality auditors and other non-environmental specialists can audit many aspecte of the environmental system, such as record keeping, training programmes etc., it usually requires a specialist to review the Aspects and Impacts Analysis because of the need to make professional judgements on environmental impacts.. The audit process should be arrang so that all aspects of the system and all the activities of the organisation are covered and may be carried out in a series of audits known as an audit cycle. 

Besides the pressures mentioned in Table 3.2.2, aspects that cannot be steered directly (like climate change) and drivers (like shipping traffic, maintenance of flood control dams, fishery, etc. see Policy Summary on Pressures and Impact Analysis (2002) also influence the ecological quality of water bodies. These aspects have been considered indirectly in die pressures corresponding to the Driver, Pressure, State, Impact and Response (DPSIR) framework mentioned in the WFD CIS Guidance document on analysis of pressures and impacts (WFD, 2002). 

In the past decades, polymer materials have been continuously replacing more traditional materials such as paper, metal, glass, stone, wood, natural fibres and natural rubber in the fields of clothing industry, E E components, automotive materials, aeronautics, leisure, food packaging, sports goods, etc. Without the existence of suitable polymer materials progress in many of these areas would have been limited. Polymer materials are appreciated for their chemical, physical and economical qualities including low production cost, safety aspects and low environmental impact (cf. life-cycle analysis). 

The negative aspects of chemical additives appear to be getting more and more attention in the public debate. Results linking chemical additives to adverse environmental and human health impacts are being produced. But more results are needed. More economic valuation studies are needed to support analysis as well as impact analysis on parameters such as human fertility, animal reproduction and animal productivity. Of big concern for the authors of this chapter is the need to know more about diffuse exposure from the use of products containing chemical additives. 

TRL (2007). Technical Assistance and Economic Analysis in the Field of Legislation Pertinent to the Issue of Automotive Safety Evaluation of the Impact (Extended Impact Assessment) of the Introduction of Hydrogen as a Fuel to Power Motor-vehicles Considering the Safety and Environmental Aspects. Final Report for Enterprise Directorate-General, European Commission. TRL Limited. 

This chapter discusses method parameters from the robustness point of view, not from the analyte or the specific analysis point of view. Certain aspects will be named under different parts, if they have impact on multiple aspects and overlap with other chapters is unavoidable. The chapter is not a review (Chapter 9), but will give illustrative examples. It is intended to help during method development and is based on the current status of equipment. The strategies provided are not considered to be the only way to address the issues discussed. They are offered as examples (for more discussion see other related chapters in this book) of... 

The second part of the environmental impact analysis (EIA) relates to the effects of a major accident or spill within the plant. The safety aspects of an explosive gas discharge (for example) should be considered in conjunction with the loss prevention studies for the plant (Section 8.2.3). However, proposals for containment, clean-up, and discharge of major chemical spills should be part of the EIA report. Any proposals should ensure the safety of personnel, minimise the discharge and its effect on the environment, and preserve the integrity of the plant. The worst situation should be evaluated, not just the most likely scenario. Factors to be considered include the quantity and location of chemicals... 

Action Prepare an environmental impact analysis for the proposed chemical plant, including aspects of normal operation and major spills. 

There are several aspects to be considered regarding the siting and operation of the nitric acid plant. First, a suitable site must be chosen and second the plant layout must be planned after the site characteristics are assessed. Finally, an environmental impact analysis needs to be performed to ascertain the expected effect of the plant and the chemicals on the surrounding areas. 

In this context, traceability is used to determine the relationships between aspects of the design and aspects of the requirements. When a requirement changes, traceability information shows which aspects of the design need to be considered during impact analysis. 

Chapter 3 provides an overview of physicochemical factors that impact analysis and purification of polypeptides and proteins by HPLC techniques. The current status and some of the future challenges facing this major field of separation sciences are considered from both didactic and practical perspectives (Chapter 3). This chapter attempts to provide an overview of terms, concepts, principles, practical aspects, and primary references that underpin the recent developments in this field. Where appropriate, key relationships and dependencies that describe the interactive behavior of polypeptides and proteins with chemically immobilized ligands are discussed. This understanding is central to any subsequent exploration of alternative avenues now available for further research and development into the field of polypeptide or protein purification and analysis. 

The creation of the study protocol is a multidisciplinary and collaborative effort. Every aspect of the protocol impacts all other aspects. A medical procedure may impact the response of subjects to treatment, their compliance or other important aspect that ultimately will impact the data and the conclusions that can be drawn from them. For this reason, every member of the study design team must assume responsibility for the entire protocol. The statistician may be responsible directly for writing the statistical design considerations and the analysis plan, yet his or her involvement in all other aspects of the design that feed into it are equally important. 

Assessment of the nature of materials extracted or used may be an important aspect of impact assessment (see Eigure 2), but LCI methods are of limited use since there are no accepted methods for directly comparing the extraction of a nonrenewahle resource with the harvesting of renewable resources involving specific land use plans. In contrast, environmental burdens associated with emissions and effluents are directly comparable using LCI data and analysis methods. 

Meeting the need for a comprehensive source addressing every aspect of cresol production, analysis, and impact, this detailed reference offers the most up-to-date account of cresols and their downstream derivatives—written by an internationally renowned consultant in the fine chemicals industry. 

Second, an analysis such as life cycle analysis or environmental impact assessment should be performed on water treatment systems. This analysis should include issues such as treatment plant construction, membrane manufacturing, chemicals consumption, waste production (concentrate streams, sludge, membranes), energy consumption (with the option to apply alternative energies), as well as health aspects and risk assessment. 

A proper cost and economic analysis can only be made after all the invited manufacturers have fully complied with the details of the enquiry specification. The engineer must satisfy himself that this requirement has been properly met, otherwise a low bid price may indicate non-compliance or poor understanding of the enquiry specification. Apart from the important technical requirements there are often other engineering considerations that should be taken into account, e.g. vendor documentation, spare parts, delivery schedule, obsolescence, testing and inspection. Some of these aspects have a definite cost impact whereas some are somewhat intangible, e.g. history of performance, delivery schedule, obsolescence. 

Life-cycle analysis A technique for assessing the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product, by (1) compiling an inventory of relevant inputs and outputs of a process, from the extraction of raw resources to the final disposal of the product when it is no longer usable (so called from cradle to grave analysis) (2) evalnating the potential environmental impacts associated with those inputs and outputs and (3) interpreting the results of the inventory and impact phases in relation to the objectives of the study. 

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