Basis for Life Cycle Assessment Conservation of Matter

1 Basis for Life Cycle Assessment Conservation of Matter 

The last thing that many consumers likely consider when selecting a product from store shelves may be that the chemical substances in that product will ultimately enter the environment, perhaps by volatilizing to air or washing down the drain even after any solid waste is tossed in the trash for landfilling or incineration, chemicals may yet enter air, water, or soil. But matter is neither created nor destroyed. Short of nuclear reaction, fhe chemicals we use follow this principle of conservation of mass. Life cycle analyses consider the fate and transport of chemicals from the source of raw maferials through use of the product to ultimate disposal. Such assessments fundamentally begin with a mass or material balance. 

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