Ecotoxicity. Chapter 8 "Life Cycle Impact Assessment" (Hauschild MZ and Huijbregts MAJ eds)

Abstract

The Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) phase of an LCA is the evaluation of potential human health and environmental impacts of the environmental resources and releases identified during the LCI. Impact assessment should address ecological and human health effects; it should also address resource depletion. A life cycle impact assessment attempts to establish a linkage between the product or process and its potential environmental impacts. For example, what are the impacts of 9,000 tons of carbon dioxide or 5,000 tons of methane emissions released into the atmosphere? Which is worse? What are their potential impacts on smog? On global warming? The key concept in this component is that of stressors. A stressor is a set of conditions that may lead to an impact. For example, if a product or process is emitting greenhouse gases, the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may contribute to global warming. Processes that result in the discharge of excess nutrients into bodies of water may lead to eutrophication. An LCIA provides a systematic procedure for classifying and characterizing these types of environmental effects.