OMNIITOX - operational life-cycle impact assessment models and information tools for practitioners

Abstract

This article is the preamble to a set of articles describing initial results from an on-going European Commission funded, 5th Framework project called OMNIITOX, Operational Models aNd Information tools for Industrial applications of eco/TOXicological impact assessments. The different parts of this case study-driven project are briefly presented and put in relation to the aims of contributing to an operational life cycle-impact assessment (LCIA) model for impacts of toxicants. The present situation has been characterised by methodological difficulties, both regarding choice of the characterisation model(s) and limited input data on chemical properties, which often has resulted in the omission of toxicants from the LCIA, or at best focus on well characterised chemicals. The project addresses both problems and integrates models, as well as data, in an information system -the OMNIITOX IS. There is also a need for clarification of the relations between the (environmental) risk assessments of toxicants and LCIA, in addition to investigating the feasibility of introducing LCA into European chemicals legislation, tasks that also were addressed in the project.

Impacts of “metals” on human health: a comparison between nine different methodologies for Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)

“…Metals are diverse substances, with different properties and characteristics, considered important in LCIA because of their toxicity to humans and ecosystems (Finnveden et al, 2009;Gloria et al, 2006;Hauschild, 2005;Pennington et al, 2004;Rebitzer et al, 2004). The LCA, SETAC, and UNEP communities have often stressed the significance of the issue of metals and related impacts in LCIA (Jolliet et al, 2003b;Molander et al, 2004). In general, hazard classification for metals is a challenge as their inherent characteristics favour changing speciation, transformation and bioavailability within different environments, which again influence the severity of impacts exerted by these substances (Meister and Falck, 2008;OECD, 2008;Skeaff et al, 2008).…”

Comparing chemical environmental scores using USEtox™ and CDV from the European Ecolabel

“…The first methods to be developed were models such as USES-LCA (Huijbregts et al 2000) and Impact 2002+ (Jolliet et al 2003). Much of this work was initiated following the launch of the OMNIITOX program within the European framework FP6 program around the year 2002 (Molander et al 2004). During the same period, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) have launched the life cycle initiative and after several years of intense work and many workshops held with LCA and RA experts, the harmonised model USEtox ™ was officially presented in SETAC in May 2010 .…”

Spatial differentiation of chemical removal rates from air in life cycle impact assessment

“…Since these characteristics are related to physicalchemical properties, organic chemicals were clustered on the basis of their physical-chemical properties in order to define a general framework for identifying groups of chemicals with likely similar fate behavior in the environment. This built on the previous work of the Omniitox project (Molander et al 2004).…”