Hazardous Potential Indicator for Material According to Globally Harmonized System

Abstract

The industrial revolution has resulted in the rapid growth of product manufacturing, and this growth has made an important contribution to world economy. Because of the complexity of product manufacturing processes and their waste streams, products may post hazard to environment and human health. Typical small and medium-sized enterprises, which tend to have shorter product cycles, cannot afford staffing toxicologists or environmental specialists in the companies' product design divisions. These enterprises need an easy-to-use and time-efficient tool for environmentally conscious design. The potential indicator methodology in this study developed meets such a need. Unlike traditional LCA tools that require tremendous amount of inventory data, the standard Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) are sufficient to establish the indicators. The proposed Hazardous Potential Indicator (HPI) is suitable to all countries that implement the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Thanks to the GHS, consistent HPI results can be obtained on materials based on different SDSs. The potential indicator approach, based on applicable SDSs, is a simple and direct tool to help product designers compare and select components and materials to reduce the impact to the environment for the purpose of Eco-design.