Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
LCA.studies.the.environmental.aspects.and.potential.impacts.throughout.the.product's.
life.(i.e.,.cradle.to.grave).from.raw.materials.acquisition.through.production,.use.and.
disposal..The.general.categories.of.environmental.issues.needing.consideration.include.
resource.use,.human.health,.and.ecological.consequences.”
The.formal.process.of.LCA.uses.very.speciic.information.to.quantify.the.con-
sequences.of.a.particular.product's.manufacture,.use,.and.disposal..In.the.develop-
ing.world.of.nanotechnology,.such.speciic.information.can.be.dificult.to.ascertain..
Many.manufacturing.processes.are.still.in.scale-up;.often,.and.understandably,.these.
processes. are. proprietary.. Further,. as. discussed. in. previous. chapters. of. this. topic,.
relatively. little. quantitative. information. is. known. about. the. potential. releases. of.
nanomaterials. during. the. use. and. disposal. of. products. based. on. nanotechnology,.
and.the.toxicity.of.those.releases.if.they.occur..Relatively.few.LCAs.of.nanotechnol-
ogy. have. been. published. [2-14].. Focusing. primarily. on. safety. and. environmental.
protection,.several.stakeholders.have.developed.paradigms.to.evaluate.the.balance.
between.the.risks.and.beneits.of.nanotechnology.
. adaPtations to nanoteChnologY
Three.approaches.to.evaluating.nanotechnology.are.described.below:
.
1.. Screening.approach.developed.at.a.workshop.sponsored.by.The.Pew.Chari-
table.Trusts,.the.Woodrow.Wilson.International.Center.for.Scholars/Project.
on.Emerging.Nanotechnologies,.and.the.European.Commission.[3]
.
2.. The. Nano. Risk. Framework. developed. by. the. Environmental. Defense. -.
DuPont.Nano.Partnership.[4]
.
3.. The. XL. Insurance. Database. Protocol,. applied. to. nanotechnology. by.
researchers.at.Rice.University,.Golder.Associates,.and.XL.Insurance.[8]
The.brief.summaries.that.follow.illustrate.the.general.mass.balance.methodolo-
gies;.critical.features.that.characterize.risks;.and.the.uncertainties.in.evaluating.risks.
from.newly.developed.materials.for.which.little.information.may.be.available..These.
approaches. represent. two. different. points. of. focus:. the. irst. two. approaches. focus.
on.the.nanomaterials.themselves,.and.the.third.approach.focuses.on.the.processes.
used. to. manufacture. the. nanomaterials.. Either. or. both. of. these. focal. points. may.
be.appropriate.for.balancing.the.risks.and.rewards.of.a.particular.nanotechnology,.
depending.on.the.manufacturing.process,.materials.used.in.that.process,.quantities.
of. the. nanomaterial. used. in. a. commercial. product,. and. the. potential. for. exposure.
(including.whether.nanomaterials.are.free.or.ixed)..Of.necessity,.this.chapter.cannot.
present.all.the.nuances.of.these.models,.and.the.reader.is.encouraged.to.consult.the.
cited.reference.materials.for.more.information.
11.2.1 s
Creening
a
pprOaCh
The. 2006. workshop. “Nanotechnology. and. Life. Cycle. Assessment:. A. Systems.
Approach. to. Nanotechnology. and. the. Environment”. brought. together. stakehold-
ers. from. industry,. government,. academia,. and. nongovernmental. organizations. to.
talk.about.the.life.cycle.analysis.of.nanomaterials.[3]..Recognizing.the.limitations.
