Life-Cycle Impact Assessment and Environmental Risk Assessment of Chemicals

Safe use of chemicals is a major concern for society.

Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) strategies are used by regulatory bodies and industry as a means to balance the value and potential problems caused by the use of chemicals.

Methods to include the potential impact of chemicals within the general framework of life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) have also been developed, leading to confusion regarding the utility of both approaches.

Based on information generated by the European OMNIITOX project, "Life-Cycle Impact Assessment and Environmental Risk Assessment of Chemicals" gives practitioners the basic information needed to understand when to apply either approach, and to understand the underlying assumptions so that they can interpret the results of ERA and LCIA with confidence.