Study of Environmental Impacts

Ongoing Studies of Environmental Impacts from Engineering Practices and the Provision of Infrastructure. 

It should be noted that environmental impacts associated with materials transport are assigned to their origin node. The study of environmental impacts associated with transport or production can be performed by setting the indices summation over the corresponding tasks (i.e., i e Tr or i e NTr). Furthermore, the value of ifijff a can be calculated by Eq. (6.2) in the case of transportation. Here ir represents the a environmental category impact CF for the transportation of a mass unit of material over a length unit. 

During the early 1990s, several methods were developed to interpret the results of LCA studies in terms of environmental impacts. Some methods were also developed to weigh various impacts against each other. In the early 1990s, the practicing number of LCA experts increased considerably. 

In this study the environmental impacts are calculated for the use of 1 m2 cushion vinyl floor covering, with a lifetime of 15 years (in LCA terms called the functional unit). Figure 1 shows the process flowchart for the production, use and waste disposal of a cushion vinyl floor covering. Cushioned flooring is produced by spread coating. The glass fibre is used as a substrate. Several layers, each with its... 

CLL mapping is extremely useful in communicating findings of environmental impact studies both for general public and decision-makers. 

NATO/CCMS (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Committee on Challenges to Modern Society) (1997). Introduction to the Themes of the Workshop. In Integration of Risk Assessment and Health Impact Assessment. Report of the Twelfth Workshop on Methodology, Focalisation, Evaluation and Scope of Environmental Impact Assessment in Reykjavik, Iceland, May 14-18, 1997. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, Committee on Challenges to Modem Society (NATO/CCMS) Pilot Study, co-ordinated by E, F. Verheyen, K. Nagels, and M. Coenen, Antwerpen University of Antwerpen, pp. 49-53... 

Assessments of environmental impacts from herbicides are usually done at the single-species level. These assessments use toxicological data from laboratory bioassay tests and estimates of exposure from laboratory or field studies of environmental chemistry. Few tests have assessed the impacts of herbicides on organisms in the field and few, if any, at the ecosystem level. There are two main reasons why there have been so few field or ecosystem tests They are exceedingly difficult and costly, and the current philosophies of risk assessment have evolved from classical toxicology and the federal regulatory framework that covers pharmaceuticals, food additives, and pesticides. 

Although sulfur is considered non toxic to humans (17,18), it can cause eye irritation. In addition, sulfur could react with asphalt to form hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, or other gaseous emissions. Sulfur is also an important plant nutrient. However, as with other nutrients, an excess can cause undesirable effects on vegetation. The SDHPT worked with the U.S. Bureau of Mines, TTI, The Sulphur Institute, and Stephen F. Austin State University to study the environmental impact of sulfur. 

The second phase is the feasibility study. This stage may require the expenditure of 1 to 2% of the total project cost. Thus for a 1,000 million project about 20 million will be required. This will define the location, feedstock and product market and the technology to be used. It will also typically encompass outline regulatory approval and assessment of environmental impacts. The error in the estimate is typically not less than about +/-10%. Financiers (bankers and corporate boards) like the error to be +1-5%. This level of estimate can usually only be achieved by a FEED study. 

LCI/LCA provides a systemwide measure of environmental impacts. The findings rest on the quality of the LCI database, which attempts to capture the impact of every input and output in the production chain for analyzing everything from a single product to a complex assembly of products with a specific use, such as a house, car, or appliance. The methodology provides a degree of quality control so that independent LCI developers can produce data that can be used in comparative studies. The USLCI database project is a repository for properly reviewed LCI data. 

The basic science, separable, piece-by-piece approach to the study of pollution impacts upon materials makes truly awesome the task of covering and synthesizing the technically efficient or even the feasible input combinations. In manufacturing alone, thousands of different types of material inputs exist. Each input type is, in turn, embodied in one or more production processes or outputs which may appear in a variety of forms and which can be put to a number of distinctive uses. Moreover, there may be environmental cofactors such as temperature and moisture that act in concert with pollution to aggravate or to soften its impact. Basic science studies of pollution impacts upon materials have received little guidance about which of these embodiments, varieties, and uses take on economic significance. 

Atkinson SE, Crocker TD, Needleman HL The importance of specification uncertainty and intolerance to measurement error in a study of the impact of dentine lead on children s IQs. International Journal of Environmental Studies 29 127-138,1987 Baghurst PA, Robertson EF, McMichael AJ, et al The Port Pirie cohort study lead effects on pregnancy outcome and early childhood development. Neurotoxicology 8 395-402, 1987... 

Effects of aluminum in low pH solutions on aquatic biota, especially fish, and on land plants growing in acidic soil have been studied by various investigators (35-38). Although much of the work has assigned the observed toxicity to monomeric dissolved forms of Al, the behavior of polymeric species in biochemical systems is probably in need of more careful study than it has so far received. Schindler (39) in a review of the topic of environmental impacts of acid rain noted that aluminum is highly toxic to fish and quoted literature references to the effect that polymeric and colloidal aluminum hydroxide species may physically obstruct gill membranes and cause asphyxiation. The maximal pH range for this effect was reported as 5.2 to 5.4. 

District of Columbia believed that the bulk of the work still needed to be completed, as stated in their original recommendations. The District s view on the need for a complete site investigation with a study of environmental contamination, health impacts, and a search of the entire area for individual UXO and buried stockpiles is also confirmed by the proposed Range Rule. It is also confirmed by the tremendous amount of ordnance and chemical bottles found subsequent to the District s original conceptual site model. 

Caldwell LK, Bartlett DE, Parker DE, Keys DL (1982) A study of ways to improve the scientific content and methodology of environmental impact analysis. Advanced Studies in Science, Technology and Public Affairs, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, pp 24-53... 

In order to successfully study the environmental impact assessment and chemodynamics (fate and transport) of leachates from sohd waste materials that are used as in highway construction and repair applications, it is very important to comprehensively study the different physical and chemical properties specific for each waste material. The following is a summary of these properties. 

Our actions are part of an ambitious program to valorize all plastic materials at their end of life, to treat all the waste from our industries. This program is based on the study of the impact of polymers, from their produetion to their treatment after use. Each year, PlasticsEurope invests 250,000 euros to update arrd complete the lifecycle analysis of the production of polymers. We share data and collaborate closely with the Joint Research Center of the European Commission which works on calculating the environmental impact of products throughout their lifecycle. 

---