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Hibbs SP, Thomas S, Agarwal N, Andrews C, Eskander S, Abdalla AS, Staves J, Eckelman MJ, Murphy MF. What is the environmental impact of a blood transfusion? A life cycle assessment of transfusion services across England. Transfusion 2024; 64:638-645. [PMID: 38506497 DOI: 10.1111/trf.17786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Healthcare activities significantly contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Blood transfusions require complex, interlinked processes to collect, manufacture, and supply. Their contribution to healthcare emissions and avenues for mitigation is unknown. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS We performed a life cycle assessment (LCA) for red blood cell (RBC) transfusions across England where 1.36 million units are transfused annually. We defined the process flow with seven categories: donation, transportation, manufacturing, testing, stockholding, hospital transfusion, and disposal. We used direct measurements, manufacturer data, bioengineering databases, and surveys to assess electrical power usage, embodied carbon in disposable materials and reagents, and direct emissions through transportation, refrigerant leakage, and disposal. RESULTS The central estimate of carbon footprint per unit of RBC transfused was 7.56 kg CO2 equivalent (CO2eq). The largest contribution was from transportation (2.8 kg CO2eq, 36% of total). The second largest was from hospital transfusion processes (1.9 kg CO2eq, 26%), driven mostly by refrigeration. The third largest was donation (1.3 kg CO2eq, 17%) due to the plastic blood packs. Total emissions from RBC transfusion are ~10.3 million kg CO2eq/year. DISCUSSION This is the first study to estimate GHG emissions attributable to RBC transfusion, quantifying the contributions of each stage of the process. Primary areas for mitigation may include electric vehicles for the blood service fleet, improving the energy efficiency of refrigeration, using renewable sources of electricity, changing the plastic of blood packs, and using methods of disposal other than incineration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen P Hibbs
- Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | | | - Nikhil Agarwal
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Charlotte Andrews
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sylvia Eskander
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Julie Staves
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael F Murphy
- NHS Blood and Transplant, London, UK
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
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Filley GI, Kayastha D, Hayes W, Mehra S, Sherman JD, Eckelman MJ. Environmental Impact of a Direct Laryngoscopy: Opportunities for Pollution Mitigation. Laryngoscope 2024. [PMID: 38379176 DOI: 10.1002/lary.31341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To quantify the environmental impact of standard direct laryngoscopy surgery and model the environmental benefit of three feasible alternative scenarios that meet safe decontamination reprocessing requirements. STUDY DESIGN This is a life cycle assessment (LCA) modeling study. SETTING Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH), a 1541-bed tertiary medical center in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. METHODS We performed cradle-to-grave LCA of DLS at Yale New Haven Hospital in 2022, including global warming potential (GWP), water consumption, and fine particulate matter formation. Three alternative scenarios were modeled: disinfecting surgical tools using high-level disinfection rather than steam sterilization, substituting non-sterile for sterile gloves and gowns; and reducing surgical towel and drape sizes by 30%. RESULTS Changes in disinfection practices would decrease procedure GWP by 11% in each environmental impact category. Substituting non-sterile gowns and gloves reduced GWP by 15%, with nominal changes to water consumption. Linen size reduction resulted in 28% less procedure-related water consumption. Together, a nearly 30% reduction across all environmental impact categories could be achieved. CONCLUSIONS Not exceeding minimum Center for Disease Control (CDC) decontamination standards for reusable devices and optimizing non-sterile consumable materials could dramatically reduce healthcare-associated emissions without compromising safety, thereby minimizing the negative consequences of hospital operations to environmental and human health. Findings extend to other non-sterile surgical procedures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE N/A Laryngoscope, 2024.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace I Filley
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
| | - Darpan Kayastha
- Department of Surgery (Division of Otolaryngology), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A
| | - Wesley Hayes
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
| | - Saral Mehra
- Department of Surgery (Division of Otolaryngology), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A
| | - Jodi D Sherman
- Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
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3
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Davies JF, McAlister S, Eckelman MJ, McGain F, Seglenieks R, Gutman EN, Groome J, Palipane N, Latoff K, Nielsen D, Sherman JD. Environmental and financial impacts of perioperative paracetamol use: a multicentre international life-cycle analysis. Br J Anaesth 2024:S0007-0912(23)00725-0. [PMID: 38296752 DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.11.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pharmaceuticals account for 19-32% of healthcare greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Paracetamol is a common perioperative analgesic agent. We estimated GHG emissions associated with i.v. and oral formulations of paracetamol used in the perioperative period. METHODS Life-cycle assessment of GHG emissions (expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents CO2e) of i.v. and oral paracetamol preparations was performed. Perioperative paracetamol prescribing practices and costs for 26 hospitals in USA, UK, and Australia were retrospectively audited. For those surgical patients for whom oral formulations were indicated, CO2e and costs of actual prescribing practices for i.v. or oral doses were compared with optimal oral prescribing. RESULTS The carbon footprint for a 1 g dose was 38 g CO2e (oral tablet), 151 g CO2e (oral liquid), and 310-628 g CO2e (i.v. dependent on type of packaging and administration supplies). Of the eligible USA patients, 37% received paracetamol (67% was i.v.). Of the eligible UK patients, 85% received paracetamol (80% was i.v.). Of the eligible Australian patients, 66% received paracetamol (70% was i.v.). If the emissions mitigation opportunity from substituting oral tablets for i.v. paracetamol is extrapolated to USA, UK, and Australia elective surgical encounters in 2019, ∼5.7 kt CO2e could have been avoided and would save 98.3% of financial costs. CONCLUSIONS Intravenous paracetamol has 12-fold greater life-cycle carbon emissions than the oral tablet form. Glass vials have higher greenhouse gas emissions than plastic vials. Intravenous administration should be reserved for cases in which oral formulations are not feasible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica F Davies
- Department of Anaesthesia, Austin Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Scott McAlister
- Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Forbes McGain
- Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Centre for Health Policy, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, Western Health, Footscray, VIC, Australia
| | - Richard Seglenieks
- Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, Western Health, Footscray, VIC, Australia; Department of Anaesthesia, Grampians Health, Ballarat, VIC, Australia
| | - Elena N Gutman
- Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jonathan Groome
- Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK; Nuffield Health, London, UK
| | - Natasha Palipane
- University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Katherine Latoff
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dominic Nielsen
- Greener Anaesthesia & Sustainability Project (GASP), London, UK
| | - Jodi D Sherman
- Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
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Mihelcic JR, Barra RO, Brooks BW, Diamond ML, Eckelman MJ, MacDonald Gibson J, Guidotti S, Ikeda-Araki A, Kumar M, Maiga Y, McConville J, Miller SL, Pizarro V, Rosario-Ortiz F, Wang S, Zimmerman JB. Accelerating Environmental Research to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals. Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:17167-17168. [PMID: 37961758 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c08894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- James R Mihelcic
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of South Florida, 4202 E Fowler Ave, ENG 030, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Ricardo O Barra
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and EULA Chile Centre, University of Concepcion, Barrio Universitario s/n, Concepción 4070386, Chile
| | - Bryan W Brooks
- Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97266, Waco, Texas 76798-7266, United States
| | - Miriam L Diamond
- Department of Earth Sciences and School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 1A1, ON, Canada
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson
- Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, Fitts-Woolard Hall, Room 3253, 915 Partners Way, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7908, United States
| | - Sunny Guidotti
- UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office, Building 102, Alberto Tejada Street, City of Knowledge 0843, Republic of Panama
| | - Atsuko Ikeda-Araki
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 12, Nishi 5, Kitaku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan
| | - Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India
- Escuela de Ingenieria y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterey, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Ynoussa Maiga
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, UFR SVT, University Joseph KI-ZERBO, 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Jennifer McConville
- Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7032, Uppsala SE-750 07, Sweden
| | - Shelly L Miller
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 427 UCB, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0427, United States
| | - Valeria Pizarro
- Perry Institute for Marine Science Windsor School (Albany Campus), Frank Watson Boulevard, Adelaide, The Bahamas
| | - Fernando Rosario-Ortiz
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Shuxiao Wang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment, Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Sources and Control of Air Pollution Complex, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Julie B Zimmerman
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
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Mihelcic JR, Barra RO, Brooks BW, Diamond ML, Eckelman MJ, Gibson JM, Guidotti S, Ikeda-Araki A, Kumar M, Maiga Y, McConville J, Miller SL, Pizarro V, Rosario-Ortiz F, Wang S, Zimmerman JB. Environmental Research Addressing Sustainable Development Goals. Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:3457-3460. [PMID: 36812397 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c01070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- James R Mihelcic
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of South Florida, 4202 E Fowler Ave, Tampa 33620, Florida, United States
| | - Ricardo O Barra
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and EULA Chile Centre, University of Concepcion, Barrio Universitario s/n, Concepción 4070386, Chile
| | - Bryan W Brooks
- Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97266, Waco 76798-7266, Texas, United States
| | - Miriam L Diamond
- Department of Earth Sciences and School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 1A1, ON, Canada
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston 02115, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson
- Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, Fitts-Woolard Hall, Room 3253, 915 Partners Way, Raleigh 27695-7908, North Carolina, United States
| | - Sunny Guidotti
- UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office, Building 102, Alberto Tejada St., City of Knowledge 0843, Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Atsuko Ikeda-Araki
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 12, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan
| | - Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun Uttarakhand, 248007, India
- Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterey, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo León, México
| | - Ynoussa Maiga
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, UFR SVT, University Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou CFX2+7R6, Burkina Faso
| | - Jennifer McConville
- Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7032, Uppsala SE-750 07, Sweden
| | - Shelly L Miller
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, 112 ECES Engineering Center, Boulder 80309, Colorado, United States
| | - Valeria Pizarro
- Perry Institute for Marine Science Windsor School (Albany Campus), Frank Watson Boulevard, Adelaide 00000, The Bahamas
| | - Fernando Rosario-Ortiz
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309, Colorado, United States
| | - Shuxiao Wang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment, Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Sources and Control of Air Pollution Complex, Beijing100084, China
| | - Julie B Zimmerman
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven 06511, Connecticut, United States
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6
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Mendoza Beltran A, Padró R, La Rota-Aguilera MJ, Marull J, Eckelman MJ, Cirera J, Giocoli A, Villalba G. Displaying geographic variability of peri-urban agriculture environmental impacts in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona: A regionalized life cycle assessment. Sci Total Environ 2023; 858:159519. [PMID: 36461572 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Peri urban agriculture (peri-UA) can supply food locally and potentially more sustainably than far-away conventional agricultural systems. It can also introduce significant environmental impacts depending on the local biophysical conditions and resources required to implement it and, on the crops managing practices, which could vary widely among growers. Sophisticated methods to account for such variability while assessing direct (on-site) and indirect (up/down stream) environmental impacts of peri-UA implementation are thus needed. We implemented an attributional, regionalized, cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) for which we derive spatially explicit inventories and calculate 14 impacts due to peri-UA using the ReCiPe method. Further, to show the importance of impact assessment regionalization for the environmental assessment of peri-UA, we regionalize eutrophication impacts characterization. We use the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) to illustrate these methodological developments. Vegetables and greenhouses, the prevalent peri-UA land uses, had the largest impacts assessed, of all peri-UA land uses. European NPK mineral fertilizer production to cover N demand of these crops drives all impacts. For fruit crops, on-site N emissions drive marine eutrophication impacts and for irrigated herbaceous crops, phosphate runoff drives freshwater eutrophication impacts. Geographic variability of peri-UA metabolic flows and impacts was displayed. Management practices at the plots, which are linked the land use, are responsible for impacts variability. Regionalization of eutrophication impacts highlights the importance of accounting for the biophysical aspects at the geographic scale at which peri-UA takes place, which is a much finer scale than those implemented in current regionalization of impact assessment methods in LCA. This study provides a fundamental baseline needed to assess transition scenarios of peri-UA at an appropriate geographic level of analysis and gives essential knowledge to guide appropriate circular and sustainability strategies for the sector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelica Mendoza Beltran
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Roc Padró
- Barcelona Institute of Regional and Metropolitan Studies, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - María José La Rota-Aguilera
- Barcelona Institute of Regional and Metropolitan Studies, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Joan Marull
- Barcelona Institute of Regional and Metropolitan Studies, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, 425 Snell Engineering Ctr. 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jacob Cirera
- Barcelona Metropolitan Area, Street C 62 num. 16-18, Zona Franca 08040, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Annalisa Giocoli
- Barcelona Metropolitan Area, Street C 62 num. 16-18, Zona Franca 08040, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gara Villalba
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, XRB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
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7
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Sherman JD, MacNeill AJ, Biddinger PD, Ergun O, Salas RN, Eckelman MJ. Sustainable and Resilient Health Care in the Face of a Changing Climate. Annu Rev Public Health 2023; 44:255-277. [PMID: 36626833 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-071421-051937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is a threat multiplier, exacerbating underlying vulnerabilities, worsening human health, and disrupting health systems' abilities to deliver high-quality continuous care. This review synthesizes the evidence of what the health care sector can do to adapt to a changing climate while reducing its own climate impact, identifies barriers to change, and makes recommendations to achieve sustainable, resilient health care systems. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 44 is April 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi D Sherman
- Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine; and Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health; Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA;
| | - Andrea J MacNeill
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Paul D Biddinger
- Department of Emergency Preparedness and Continuity, Massachusetts General Brigham, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School; and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ozlem Ergun
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Renee N Salas
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School; and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; and Harvard Global Health Institute; Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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8
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Sittig DF, Sherman JD, Eckelman MJ, Draper A, Singh H. i-CLIMATE: a "clinical climate informatics" action framework to reduce environmental pollution from healthcare. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2022; 29:2153-2160. [PMID: 35997550 PMCID: PMC9667163 DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocac137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Addressing environmental pollution and climate change is one of the biggest sociotechnical challenges of our time. While information technology has led to improvements in healthcare, it has also contributed to increased energy usage, destructive natural resource extraction, piles of e-waste, and increased greenhouse gases. We introduce a framework "Information technology-enabled Clinical cLimate InforMAtics acTions for the Environment" (i-CLIMATE) to illustrate how clinical informatics can help reduce healthcare's environmental pollution and climate-related impacts using 5 actionable components: (1) create a circular economy for health IT, (2) reduce energy consumption through smarter use of health IT, (3) support more environmentally friendly decision-making by clinicians and health administrators, (4) mobilize healthcare workforce environmental stewardship through informatics, and (5) Inform policies and regulations for change. We define Clinical Climate Informatics as a field that applies data, information, and knowledge management principles to operationalize components of the i-CLIMATE Framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean F Sittig
- School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jodi D Sherman
- Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Center on Climate Change and Health, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew Draper
- Health Data Informatics and Analytics, University of Denver, HCA Continental Division, GreenCIO.org, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Hardeep Singh
- Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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9
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Wang W, Chen WQ, Diao ZW, Ciacci L, Pourzahedi L, Eckelman MJ, Yang Y, Shi L. Multidimensional Analyses Reveal Unequal Resource, Economic, and Environmental Gains and Losses among the Global Aluminum Trade Leaders. Environ Sci Technol 2021; 55:7102-7112. [PMID: 33913696 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c08836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Disputes around trade inequality have been growing over the last 2 decades, with different countries claiming inequality in different terms including monetary deficits, resource appropriation and degradation, and environmental emission transfer. Despite prior input-output-based studies analyzing multidimensional trade consequences at the sector level, there is a lack of bottom-up studies that uncover the complexity of trade imbalances at the product level. This paper quantifies four types of flows, monetary, resource, embodied energy use, and embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, resulting from aluminum trade for the four economies with the highest aluminum trade, that is, the United States, China, Japan, and Australia. Results show that the United States has a negative balance in monetary flows but a positive balance in resource flows, embodied energy use, and GHG emissions. China has a positive balance in monetary and resource flows but a negative balance in embodied energy use and GHG emissions. Japan has a positive balance in all flows, while Australia has a negative balance in all flows. These heterogeneous gains and losses along the global leaders of aluminum trade arise largely from their different trade structures and the heterogeneities of price, energy use, and GHG emission intensities of aluminum products; for example, Japan mainly imports unwrought aluminum, and its quantity is 3 times that of the exported semis and finished aluminum-containing products that have similar energy and GHG emission intensities but 20 times higher prices, while Australia mainly exports bauxite and alumina that have the lowest prices, the quantity of which is 25 times that of imported semis and finished products. This study suggests that resource-related trade inequalities are not uniform across economic and environmental impacts and that trade policies must be carefully considered from various dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanjun Wang
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, Fujian 361021, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Fujian Institute of Innovation, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, Fujian 361021, China
| | - Wei-Qiang Chen
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, Fujian 361021, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Fujian Institute of Innovation, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, Fujian 361021, China
| | - Zhou-Wei Diao
- BP (China) Investment Company Limited., Beijing 100020, China
| | - Luca Ciacci
- Department of Industrial Chemistry "Toso Montanari", Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna 40136, Italy
| | - Leila Pourzahedi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Yi Yang
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China.,Environmental Studies Program, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, United States
| | - Lei Shi
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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10
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Tennison I, Roschnik S, Ashby B, Boyd R, Hamilton I, Oreszczyn T, Owen A, Romanello M, Ruyssevelt P, Sherman JD, Smith AZP, Steele K, Watts N, Eckelman MJ. Health care's response to climate change: a carbon footprint assessment of the NHS in England. Lancet Planet Health 2021; 5:e84-e92. [PMID: 33581070 PMCID: PMC7887664 DOI: 10.1016/s2542-5196(20)30271-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 223] [Impact Index Per Article: 74.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Climate change threatens to undermine the past 50 years of gains in public health. In response, the National Health Service (NHS) in England has been working since 2008 to quantify and reduce its carbon footprint. This Article presents the latest update to its greenhouse gas accounting, identifying interventions for mitigation efforts and describing an approach applicable to other health systems across the world. METHODS A hybrid model was used to quantify emissions within Scopes 1, 2, and 3 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, as well as patient and visitor travel emissions, from 1990 to 2019. This approach complements the broad coverage of top-down economic modelling with the high accuracy of bottom-up data wherever available. Available data were backcasted or forecasted to cover all years. To enable the identification of measures to reduce carbon emissions, results were disaggregated by organisation type. FINDINGS In 2019, the health service's emissions totalled 25 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, a reduction of 26% since 1990, and a decrease of 64% in the emissions per inpatient finished admission episode. Of the 2019 footprint, 62% came from the supply chain, 24% from the direct delivery of care, 10% from staff commute and patient and visitor travel, and 4% from private health and care services commissioned by the NHS. INTERPRETATION This work represents the longest and most comprehensive accounting of national health-care emissions globally, and underscores the importance of incorporating bottom-up data to improve the accuracy of top-down modelling and enabling detailed monitoring of progress as health systems act to reduce emissions. FUNDING Wellcome Trust.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Ian Hamilton
- UCL Energy Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tadj Oreszczyn
- UCL Energy Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anne Owen
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Marina Romanello
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Jodi D Sherman
- Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | | | - Nicholas Watts
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
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11
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Eckelman MJ, Huang K, Lagasse R, Senay E, Dubrow R, Sherman JD. Health Care Pollution And Public Health Damage In The United States: An Update. Health Aff (Millwood) 2020; 39:2071-2079. [PMID: 33284703 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
An up-to-date assessment of environmental emissions in the US health care sector is essential to help policy makers hold the health care industry accountable to protect public health. We update national-level US health-sector emissions. We also estimate state-level emissions for the first time and examine associations with state-level energy systems and health care quality and access metrics. Economywide modeling showed that US health care greenhouse gas emissions rose 6 percent from 2010 to 2018, reaching 1,692 kg per capita in 2018-the highest rate among industrialized nations. In 2018 greenhouse gas and toxic air pollutant emissions resulted in the loss of 388,000 disability-adjusted life-years. There was considerable variation in state-level greenhouse gas emissions per capita, which were not highly correlated with health system quality. These results suggest that the health care sector's outsize environmental footprint can be reduced without compromising quality. To reduce harmful emissions, the health care sector should decrease unnecessary consumption of resources, decarbonize power generation, and invest in preventive care. This will likely require mandatory reporting, benchmarking, and regulated accountability of health care organizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Eckelman
- Matthew J. Eckelman is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University, in Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kaixin Huang
- Kaixin Huang is a PhD candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University
| | - Robert Lagasse
- Robert Lagasse is a professor and vice chair for quality and regulatory affairs, Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Emily Senay
- Emily Senay is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York, New York
| | - Robert Dubrow
- Robert Dubrow is a professor of epidemiology in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Yale School of Public Health, Yale University
| | - Jodi D Sherman
- Jodi D. Sherman is an associate professor of anesthesiology at the Yale School of Medicine and the Yale School of Public Health, Yale University
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12
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MacNeill AJ, Hopf H, Khanuja A, Alizamir S, Bilec M, Eckelman MJ, Hernandez L, McGain F, Simonsen K, Thiel C, Young S, Lagasse R, Sherman JD. Transforming The Medical Device Industry: Road Map To A Circular Economy. Health Aff (Millwood) 2020; 39:2088-2097. [PMID: 33284689 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
A circular economy involves maintaining manufactured products in circulation, distributing resource and environmental costs over time and with repeated use. In a linear supply chain, manufactured products are used once and discarded. In high-income nations, health care systems increasingly rely on linear supply chains composed of single-use disposable medical devices. This has resulted in increased health care expenditures and health care-generated waste and pollution, with associated public health damage. It has also caused the supply chain to be vulnerable to disruption and demand fluctuations. Transformation of the medical device industry to a more circular economy would advance the goal of providing increasingly complex care in a low-emissions future. Barriers to circularity include perceptions regarding infection prevention, behaviors of device consumers and manufacturers, and regulatory structures that encourage the proliferation of disposable medical devices. Complementary policy- and market-driven solutions are needed to encourage systemic transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea J MacNeill
- Andrea J. MacNeill is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Harriet Hopf
- Harriet Hopf is a professor of anesthesiology in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Aman Khanuja
- Aman Khanuja is an MPH/MBA candidate in the Yale School of Management and the Yale School of Public Health at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Saed Alizamir
- Saed Alizamir is an associate professor of operations management in the School of Management at Yale University
| | - Melissa Bilec
- Melissa Bilec is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Matthew J. Eckelman is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University, in Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lyndon Hernandez
- Lyndon Hernandez is an adjunct clinical faculty member at the Medical College of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Forbes McGain
- Forbes McGain is an associate professor in the Centre for Integrated Critical Care at the University of Melbourne, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kari Simonsen
- Kari Simonsen is a professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Cassandra Thiel
- Cassandra Thiel is an assistant professor at the NYU Langone Health School of Medicine, the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and the NYU Tandon School of Engineering at New York University, in New York, New York
| | - Steven Young
- Steven Young is an associate professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert Lagasse
- Robert Lagasse is a professor and vice chair for quality and regulatory affairs, Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University
| | - Jodi D Sherman
- Jodi D. Sherman is an associate professor of anesthesiology in the Yale School of Medicine and the Yale School of Public Health, Yale University
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13
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Rahman SM, Eckelman MJ, Onnis-Hayden A, Gu AZ. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Advanced Wastewater Treatment Processes for Removal of Chemicals of Emerging Concern. Environ Sci Technol 2018; 52:11346-11358. [PMID: 29968459 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b00036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The potential health effects associated with contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) have motivated regulatory initiatives and deployment of energy- and chemical-intensive advanced treatment processes for their removal. This study evaluates life cycle environmental and health impacts associated with advanced CEC removal processes, encompassing both the benefits of improved effluent quality as well as emissions from upstream activities. A total of 64 treatment configurations were designed and modeled for treating typical U.S. medium-strength wastewater, covering three policy-relevant representative levels of carbon and nutrient removal, with and without additional tertiary CEC removal. The USEtox model was used to calculate characterization factors of several CECs with missing values. Stochastic uncertainty analysis considered variability in influent water quality and uncertainty in CEC toxicity and associated characterization factors. Results show that advanced tertiary treatment can simultaneously reduce nutrients and CECs in effluents to specified limits, but these direct water quality benefits were outweighed by even greater increases in indirect impacts for the toxicity-related metrics, even when considering order-of-magnitude uncertainties for CEC characterization factors. Future work should consider water quality aspects not currently captured in life cycle impact assessment, such as endocrine disruption, in order to evaluate the full policy implications of the CEC removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheikh M Rahman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering , Northeastern University , 400 Snell Engineering Center, 360 Huntington Ave , Boston , Massachusetts 02115 , United States
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering , Northeastern University , 400 Snell Engineering Center, 360 Huntington Ave , Boston , Massachusetts 02115 , United States
| | - Annalisa Onnis-Hayden
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering , Northeastern University , 400 Snell Engineering Center, 360 Huntington Ave , Boston , Massachusetts 02115 , United States
| | - April Z Gu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering , Northeastern University , 400 Snell Engineering Center, 360 Huntington Ave , Boston , Massachusetts 02115 , United States
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14
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Pérez-López P, Montazeri M, Feijoo G, Moreira MT, Eckelman MJ. Integrating uncertainties to the combined environmental and economic assessment of algal biorefineries: A Monte Carlo approach. Sci Total Environ 2018; 626:762-775. [PMID: 29358145 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Revised: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/29/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The economic and environmental performance of microalgal processes has been widely analyzed in recent years. However, few studies propose an integrated process-based approach to evaluate economic and environmental indicators simultaneously. Biodiesel is usually the single product and the effect of environmental benefits of co-products obtained in the process is rarely discussed. In addition, there is wide variation of the results due to inherent variability of some parameters as well as different assumptions in the models and limited knowledge about the processes. In this study, two standardized models were combined to provide an integrated simulation tool allowing the simultaneous estimation of economic and environmental indicators from a unique set of input parameters. First, a harmonized scenario was assessed to validate the joint environmental and techno-economic model. The findings were consistent with previous assessments. In a second stage, a Monte Carlo simulation was applied to evaluate the influence of variable and uncertain parameters in the model output, as well as the correlations between the different outputs. The simulation showed a high probability of achieving favorable environmental performance for the evaluated categories and a minimum selling price ranging from $11gal-1 to $106gal-1. Greenhouse gas emissions and minimum selling price were found to have the strongest positive linear relationship, whereas eutrophication showed weak correlations with the other indicators (namely greenhouse gas emissions, cumulative energy demand and minimum selling price). Process parameters (especially biomass productivity and lipid content) were the main source of variation, whereas uncertainties linked to the characterization methods and economic parameters had limited effect on the results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Pérez-López
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; MINES ParisTech, PSL Research University, Centre Observation, Impacts, Energie (O.I.E.), 1 rue Claude Daunesse CS 10207, 06904 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France.
| | - Mahdokht Montazeri
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Gumersindo Feijoo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - María Teresa Moreira
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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15
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Sherman JD, Raibley LA, Eckelman MJ. Life Cycle Assessment and Costing Methods for Device Procurement: Comparing Reusable and Single-Use Disposable Laryngoscopes. Anesth Analg 2018; 127:434-443. [PMID: 29324492 DOI: 10.1213/ane.0000000000002683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traditional medical device procurement criteria include efficacy and safety, ease of use and handling, and procurement costs. However, little information is available about life cycle environmental impacts of the production, use, and disposal of medical devices, or about costs incurred after purchase. Reusable and disposable laryngoscopes are of current interest to anesthesiologists. Facing mounting pressure to quickly meet or exceed conflicting infection prevention guidelines and oversight body recommendations, many institutions may be electively switching to single-use disposable (SUD) rigid laryngoscopes or overcleaning reusables, potentially increasing both costs and waste generation. This study provides quantitative comparisons of environmental impacts and total cost of ownership among laryngoscope options, which can aid procurement decision making to benefit facilities and public health. METHODS We describe cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methods and apply these to reusable and SUD metal and plastic laryngoscope handles and tongue blade alternatives at Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH). The US Environmental Protection Agency's Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts (TRACI) life cycle impact assessment method was used to model environmental impacts of greenhouse gases and other pollutant emissions. RESULTS The SUD plastic handle generates an estimated 16-18 times more life cycle carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2-eq) than traditional low-level disinfection of the reusable steel handle. The SUD plastic tongue blade generates an estimated 5-6 times more CO2-eq than the reusable steel blade treated with high-level disinfection. SUD metal components generated much higher emissions than all alternatives. Both the SUD handle and SUD blade increased life cycle costs compared to the various reusable cleaning scenarios at YNHH. When extrapolated over 1 year (60,000 intubations), estimated costs increased between $495,000 and $604,000 for SUD handles and between $180,000 and $265,000 for SUD blades, compared to reusables, depending on cleaning scenario and assuming 4000 (rated) uses. Considering device attrition, reusable handles would be more economical than SUDs if they last through 4-5 uses, and reusable blades 5-7 uses, before loss. CONCLUSIONS LCA and LCC are feasible methods to ease interpretation of environmental impacts and facility costs when weighing device procurement options. While management practices vary between institutions, all standard methods of cleaning were evaluated and sensitivity analyses performed so that results are widely applicable. For YNHH, the reusable options presented a considerable cost advantage, in addition to offering a better option environmentally. Avoiding overcleaning reusable laryngoscope handles and blades is desirable from an environmental perspective. Costs may vary between facilities, and LCC methodology demonstrates the importance of time-motion labor analysis when comparing reusable and disposable device options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi D Sherman
- From the Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
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16
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES To quantify the increased disease burden caused by US health care sector life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 614 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents in 2013. METHODS We screened for health damage factors that linked GHG emissions to disease burdens. We selected 5 factors, based on appropriate temporal modeling scales, which reflect a range of possible GHG emissions scenarios. We applied these factors to health care sector emissions. RESULTS We projected that annual GHG emissions associated with health care in the United States would cause 123 000 to 381 000 disability-adjusted life-years in future health damages, with malnutrition being the largest damage category. CONCLUSIONS Through their contribution to global climate change, GHG emissions will negatively affect public health because of an increased prevalence of extreme weather, flooding, vector-borne disease, and other effects. As the stewards of global health, it is important for health care professionals to recognize the magnitude of GHG emissions associated with health care itself, and the severity of associated health damages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Eckelman
- Matthew J. Eckelman is with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Jodi D. Sherman is with the Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Jodi D Sherman
- Matthew J. Eckelman is with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Jodi D. Sherman is with the Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
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17
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Pourzahedi L, Vance M, Eckelman MJ. Life Cycle Assessment and Release Studies for 15 Nanosilver-Enabled Consumer Products: Investigating Hotspots and Patterns of Contribution. Environ Sci Technol 2017; 51:7148-7158. [PMID: 28537069 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b05923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Increasing use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in consumer products as antimicrobial agents has prompted extensive research toward the evaluation of their potential release to the environment and subsequent ecotoxicity to aquatic organisms. It has also been shown that AgNPs can pose significant burdens to the environment from life cycle emissions associated with their production, but these impacts must be considered in the context of actual products that contain nanosilver. Here, a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment for the production of 15 different AgNP-enabled consumer products was performed, coupled with release studies of those same products, thus providing a consistent analytical platform for investigation of potential nanosilver impacts across a range of product types and concentrations. Environmental burdens were assessed over multiple impact categories defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI 2.1) method. Depending on the product composition and silver loading, the contribution of AgNP synthesis to the overall impacts was seen to vary over a wide range from 1% to 99%. Release studies found that solid polymeric samples lost more silver during wash compared to fibrous materials. Estimates of direct ecotoxicity impacts of AgNP releases from those products with the highest leaching rates resulted in lower impact levels compared to cradle-to-gate ecotoxicity from production for those products. Considering both cradle-to-gate production impacts and nanoparticle release studies, in conjunction with estimates of life cycle environmental and health benefits of nanoparticle incorporation, can inform sustainable nanoenabled product design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Pourzahedi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University , Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Marina Vance
- Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, Virginia Tech , Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University , Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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18
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Rahman SM, Eckelman MJ, Onnis-Hayden A, Gu AZ. Life-Cycle Assessment of Advanced Nutrient Removal Technologies for Wastewater Treatment. Environ Sci Technol 2016; 50:3020-30. [PMID: 26871301 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b05070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Advanced nutrient removal processes, while improving the water quality of the receiving water body, can also produce indirect environmental and health impacts associated with increases in usage of energy, chemicals, and other material resources. The present study evaluated three levels of treatment for nutrient removal (N and P) using 27 representative treatment process configurations. Impacts were assessed across multiple environmental and health impacts using life-cycle assessment (LCA) following the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI) impact-assessment method. Results show that advanced technologies that achieve high-level nutrient removal significantly decreased local eutrophication potential, while chemicals and electricity use for these advanced treatments, particularly multistage enhanced tertiary processes and reverse osmosis, simultaneously increased eutrophication indirectly and contributed to other potential environmental and health impacts including human and ecotoxicity, global warming potential, ozone depletion, and acidification. Average eutrophication potential can be reduced by about 70% when Level 2 (TN = 3 mg/L; TP = 0.1 mg/L) treatments are employed instead of Level 1 (TN = 8 mg/L; TP = 1 mg/L), but the implementation of more advanced tertiary processes for Level 3 (TN = 1 mg/L; TP = 0.01 mg/L) treatment may only lead to an additional 15% net reduction in life-cycle eutrophication potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheikh M Rahman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University , 400 Snell Engineering Center, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University , 400 Snell Engineering Center, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Annalisa Onnis-Hayden
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University , 400 Snell Engineering Center, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - April Z Gu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University , 400 Snell Engineering Center, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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19
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Abstract
Over 400 tons of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are produced annually, 30% of which are used in medical applications due to their antibacterial properties. The widespread use of AgNPs has implications over the entire life cycle of medical products, from production to disposal, including but not limited to environmental releases of nanomaterials themselves. Here a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment from nanoparticle synthesis to end-of-life incineration was performed for a commercially available nanosilver-enabled medical bandage. Emissions were linked to multiple categories of environmental impacts, making primary use of the TRACI 2.1 impact assessment method, with specific consideration of nanosilver releases relative to all other (non-nanosilver) emissions. Modeling results suggest that (1) environmental impacts of AgNP synthesis are dominated by upstream electricity production, with the exception of life cycle ecotoxicity where the largest contributor is mining wastes, (2) AgNPs are the largest contributor to impacts of the bandage for all impact categories considered despite low AgNP loading, and (3) impacts of bandage production are several times those bandage incineration, including nanosilver releases to the environment. These results can be used to prioritize research and policy measures in order to improve the overall ecotoxicity burdens of nanoenabled products under a life cycle framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Pourzahedi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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20
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Gilbertson LM, Busnaina AA, Isaacs JA, Zimmerman JB, Eckelman MJ. Life cycle impacts and benefits of a carbon nanotube-enabled chemical gas sensor. Environ Sci Technol 2014; 48:11360-11368. [PMID: 25188898 DOI: 10.1021/es5006576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
As for any emerging technology, it is critical to assess potential life cycle impacts prior to widespread adoption to prevent future unintended consequences. The subject of this life cycle study is a carbon nanotube-enabled chemical gas sensor, which is a highly complex, low nanomaterial-concentration application with the potential to impart significant human health benefits upon implementation. Thus, the net lifecycle trade-offs are quantified using an impact-benefit ratio (IBR) approach proposed herein, where an IBR < 1 indicates that the downstream benefits outweigh the upstream impacts. The cradle-to-gate assessment results indicate that the midpoint impacts associated with producing CNTs are marginal compared with those associated with the other manufacturing stages. The cumulative upstream impacts are further aggregated to units of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) using ReCiPe end point analysis method and quantitatively compared with the potential downstream DALY benefits, as lives saved, during the use phase. The approach presented in this study provides a guiding framework and quantitative method intended to encourage the development of nanoenabled products that have the potential to realize a net environmental, health, or societal benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leanne M Gilbertson
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University , New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, United States
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21
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Abstract
We have assembled extensive information on the cradle-to-gate environmental burdens of 63 metals in their major use forms, and illustrated the interconnectedness of metal production systems. Related cumulative energy use, global warming potential, human health implications and ecosystem damage are estimated by metal life cycle stage (i.e., mining, purification, and refining). For some elements, these are the first life cycle estimates of environmental impacts reported in the literature. We show that, if compared on a per kilogram basis, the platinum group metals and gold display the highest environmental burdens, while many of the major industrial metals (e.g., iron, manganese, titanium) are found at the lower end of the environmental impacts scale. If compared on the basis of their global annual production in 2008, iron and aluminum display the largest impacts, and thallium and tellurium the lowest. With the exception of a few metals, environmental impacts of the majority of elements are dominated by the purification and refining stages in which metals are transformed from a concentrate into their metallic form. Out of the 63 metals investigated, 42 metals are obtained as co-products in multi output processes. We test the sensitivity of varying allocation rationales, in which the environmental burden are allocated to the various metal and mineral products, on the overall results. Monte-Carlo simulation is applied to further investigate the stability of our results. This analysis is the most comprehensive life cycle comparison of metals to date and allows for the first time a complete bottom-up estimate of life cycle impacts of the metals and mining sector globally. We estimate global direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions in 2008 at 3.4 Gt CO2-eq per year and primary energy use at 49 EJ per year (9.5% of global use), and report the shares for all metals to both impact categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Nuss
- Center for Industrial Ecology, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Matthew J. Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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22
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Soh L, Montazeri M, Haznedaroglu BZ, Kelly C, Peccia J, Eckelman MJ, Zimmerman JB. Evaluating microalgal integrated biorefinery schemes: empirical controlled growth studies and life cycle assessment. Bioresour Technol 2014; 151:19-27. [PMID: 24189381 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2013.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2013] [Revised: 10/02/2013] [Accepted: 10/04/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Two freshwater and two marine microalgae species were grown under nitrogen replete and deplete conditions evaluating the impact on total biomass yield and biomolecular fractions (i.e. starch, protein, and lipid). A life cycle assessment was performed to evaluate varying species/growth conditions considering each biomass fraction and final product substitution based on energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and eutrophication potential. Lipid for biodiesel was assumed as the primary product. Protein and carbohydrate fractions were processed as co-products. Composition of the non-lipid fraction presented significant trade-offs among biogas production, animal feed substitution, nutrient recycling, and carbon sequestration. Maximizing total lipid productivity rather than lipid content yielded the least GHG emissions. A marine, N-deplete case with relatively low lipid productivity but effective nutrient recycling had the lowest eutrophication impacts. Tailoring algal species/growth conditions to optimize the mix of biomolecular fractions matched to desired products and co-products can enable a sustainable integrated microalgal biorefinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay Soh
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, United States
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23
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Wang R, Eckelman MJ, Zimmerman JB. Consequential environmental and economic life cycle assessment of green and gray stormwater infrastructures for combined sewer systems. Environ Sci Technol 2013; 47:11189-11198. [PMID: 23957532 DOI: 10.1021/es4026547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
A consequential life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted to evaluate the trade-offs between water quality improvements and the incremental climate, resource, and economic costs of implementing green (bioretention basin, green roof, and permeable pavement) versus gray (municipal separate stormwater sewer systems, MS4) alternatives of stormwater infrastructure expansions against a baseline combined sewer system with combined sewer overflows in a typical Northeast US watershed for typical, dry, and wet years. Results show that bioretention basins can achieve water quality improvement goals (e.g., mitigating freshwater eutrophication) for the least climate and economic costs of 61 kg CO2 eq. and $98 per kg P eq. reduction, respectively. MS4 demonstrates the minimum life cycle fossil energy use of 42 kg oil eq. per kg P eq. reduction. When integrated with the expansion in stormwater infrastructure, implementation of advanced wastewater treatment processes can further reduce the impact of stormwater runoff on aquatic environment at a minimal environmental cost (77 kg CO2 eq. per kg P eq. reduction), which provides support and valuable insights for the further development of integrated management of stormwater and wastewater. The consideration of critical model parameters (i.e., precipitation intensity, land imperviousness, and infrastructure life expectancy) highlighted the importance and implications of varying local conditions and infrastructure characteristics on the costs and benefits of stormwater management. Of particular note is that the impact of MS4 on the local aquatic environment is highly dependent on local runoff quality indicating that a combined system of green infrastructure prior to MS4 potentially provides a more cost-effective improvement to local water quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranran Wang
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and §Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University , New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States
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Dahlben LJ, Eckelman MJ, Hakimian A, Somu S, Isaacs JA. Environmental life cycle assessment of a carbon nanotube-enabled semiconductor device. Environ Sci Technol 2013; 47:8471-8478. [PMID: 23713494 DOI: 10.1021/es305325y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) demonstrate great promise in a variety of electronic applications due to their unique mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Although commercialization of CNT-enabled products is increasing, there remains a significant lack of information regarding the health effects and environmental impacts of CNTs as well as how the addition of CNTs may affect the environmental profile of products. Given these uncertainties, it is useful to consider the life cycle environmental impacts of a CNT-enabled product to discover and potentially prevent adverse effects through improved design. This study evaluates the potential application of CNT switches to current cellular phone flash memory. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is used to track the environmental impacts of a developmental nonvolatile bistable electromechanical CNT switch through its fabrication, expected use, and end-of-life. Results are reported for environmental impact categories including airborne inorganics, land use, and fossil fuels, with the largest contributions from gold refining processes and electricity generation. First-order predictions made for the use and end-of-life (EOL) stages indicate that the CNT switch could provide potential improvements to reduce environmental burden during use, although CNT release could occur through existing EOL processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay J Dahlben
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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Sima LC, Kelner-Levine E, Eckelman MJ, McCarty KM, Elimelech M. Water flows, energy demand, and market analysis of the informal water sector in Kisumu, Kenya. Ecol Econ 2013; 87:137-144. [PMID: 23543887 PMCID: PMC3610569 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
In rapidly growing urban areas of developing countries, infrastructure has not been able to cope with population growth. Informal water businesses fulfill unmet water supply needs, yet little is understood about this sector. This paper presents data gathered from quantitative interviews with informal water business operators (n=260) in Kisumu, Kenya, collected during the dry season. Sales volume, location, resource use, and cost were analyzed by using material flow accounting and spatial analysis tools. Estimates show that over 76% of the city's water is consumed by less than 10% of the population who have water piped into their dwellings. The remainder of the population relies on a combination of water sources, including water purchased directly from kiosks (1.5 million m3 per day) and delivered by hand-drawn water-carts (0.75 million m3 per day). Energy audits were performed to compare energy use among various water sources in the city. Water delivery by truck is the highest per cubic meter energy demand (35 MJ/m3), while the city's tap water has the highest energy use overall (21,000 MJ/day). We group kiosks by neighborhood and compare sales volume and cost with neighborhood-level population data. Contrary to popular belief, we do not find evidence of price gouging; the lowest prices are charged in the highest-demand low-income area. We also see that the informal sector is sensitive to demand, as the number of private boreholes that serve as community water collection points are much larger where demand is greatest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura C. Sima
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States
| | - Evan Kelner-Levine
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States
| | - Matthew J. Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Kathleen M. McCarty
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, United States
| | - Menachem Elimelech
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States
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Beach ES, Eckelman MJ, Cui Z, Brentner L, Zimmerman JB. Preferential technological and life cycle environmental performance of chitosan flocculation for harvesting of the green algae Neochloris oleoabundans. Bioresour Technol 2012; 121:445-9. [PMID: 22853967 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2012] [Revised: 06/06/2012] [Accepted: 06/10/2012] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Dewatering of the green algae Neochloris oleoabundans by flocculation was investigated for chitosan biopolymer, ferric sulfate, and alum. Chitosan was found to be most effective flocculant, with an optimum dose of 100mg/L algae broth. Zeta potential measurements suggest the mechanism involves both adsorption and charge neutralization processes. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to compare the chitosan method to other flocculation methods as well as centrifugation and filtration/chamber press processes. LCA showed that among these techniques, flocculation by chitosan is the least energy intensive and had the lowest impacts across all other categories of environmental impacts. The results are discussed in the overall context of biofuel production from algal biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan S Beach
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, 225 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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Eckelman MJ, Mauter MS, Isaacs JA, Elimelech M. New perspectives on nanomaterial aquatic ecotoxicity: production impacts exceed direct exposure impacts for carbon nanotoubes. Environ Sci Technol 2012; 46:2902-10. [PMID: 22296240 DOI: 10.1021/es203409a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Environmental impacts due to engineered nanomaterials arise both from releases of the nanomaterials themselves as well as from their synthesis. In this work, we employ the USEtox model to quantify and compare aquatic ecotoxicity impacts over the life cycle of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). USEtox is an integrated multimedia fate, transport, and toxicity model covering large classes of organic and inorganic substances. This work evaluates the impacts of non-CNT emissions from three methods of synthesis (arc ablation, CVD, and HiPco), and compares these to the modeled ecotoxicity of CNTs released to the environment. Parameters for evaluating CNT ecotoxicity are bounded by a highly conservative "worst case" scenario and a "realistic" scenario that draws from existing literature on CNT fate, transport, and ecotoxicity. The results indicate that the ecotoxicity impacts of nanomaterial production processes are roughly equivalent to the ecotoxicity of CNT releases under the unrealistic worst case scenario, while exceeding the results of the realistic scenario by 3 orders of magnitude. Ecotoxicity from production processes is dominated by emissions of metals from electricity generation. Uncertainty exists for both production and release stages, and is modeled using a combination of Monte Carlo simulation and scenario analysis. The results of this analysis underscore the contributions of existing work on CNT fate and transport, as well as the importance of life cycle considerations in allocating time and resources toward research on mitigating the impacts of novel materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
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Lifset RJ, Eckelman MJ, Harper EM, Hausfather Z, Urbina G. Metal lost and found: dissipative uses and releases of copper in the United States 1975-2000. Sci Total Environ 2012; 417-418:138-147. [PMID: 22248854 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.09.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2011] [Revised: 09/27/2011] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Metals are used in a variety of ways, many of which lead to dissipative releases to the environment. Such releases are relevant from both a resource use and an environmental impact perspective. We present a historical analysis of copper dissipative releases in the United States from 1975 to 2000. We situate all dissipative releases in copper's life cycle and introduce a conceptual framework by which copper dissipative releases may be categorized in terms of intentionality of use and release. We interpret our results in the context of larger trends in production and consumption and government policies that have served as drivers of intentional copper releases from the relevant sources. Intentional copper releases are found to be both significant in quantity and highly variable. In 1975, for example, the largest source of intentional releases was from the application of copper-based pesticides, and this decreased more than 50% over the next 25 years; all other sources of intentional releases increased during that period. Overall, intentional copper releases decreased by approximately 15% from 1975 to 2000. Intentional uses that are unintentionally released such as copper from roofing, increased by the same percentage. Trace contaminant sources such as fossil fuel combustion, i.e., sources where both the use and the release are unintended, increased by nearly 50%. Intentional dissipative uses are equivalent to 60% of unintentional copper dissipative releases and more than five times that from trace sources. Dissipative copper releases are revealed to be modest when compared to bulk copper flows in the economy, and we introduce a metric, the dissipation index, which may be considered an economy-wide measure of resource efficiency for a particular substance. We assess the importance of dissipative releases in the calculation of recycling rates, concluding that the inclusion of dissipation in recycling rate calculations has a small, but discernible, influence, and should be included in such calculations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reid J Lifset
- Center for Industrial Ecology, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, 195 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, United States.
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Brentner LB, Eckelman MJ, Zimmerman JB. Combinatorial life cycle assessment to inform process design of industrial production of algal biodiesel. Environ Sci Technol 2011; 45:7060-7. [PMID: 21662987 DOI: 10.1021/es2006995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The use of algae as a feedstock for biodiesel production is a rapidly growing industry, in the United States and globally. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is presented that compares various methods, either proposed or under development, for algal biodiesel to inform the most promising pathways for sustainable full-scale production. For this analysis, the system is divided into five distinct process steps: (1) microalgae cultivation, (2) harvesting and/or dewatering, (3) lipid extraction, (4) conversion (transesterification) into biodiesel, and (5) byproduct management. A number of technology options are considered for each process step and various technology combinations are assessed for their life cycle environmental impacts. The optimal option for each process step is selected yielding a best case scenario, comprised of a flat panel enclosed photobioreactor and direct transesterification of algal cells with supercritical methanol. For a functional unit of 10 GJ biodiesel, the best case production system yields a cumulative energy demand savings of more than 65 GJ, reduces water consumption by 585 m(3) and decreases greenhouse gas emissions by 86% compared to a base case scenario typical of early industrial practices, highlighting the importance of technological innovation in algae processing and providing guidance on promising production pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura B Brentner
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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Mo W, Nasiri F, Eckelman MJ, Zhang Q, Zimmerman JB. Measuring the embodied energy in drinking water supply systems: a case study in the Great Lakes region. Environ Sci Technol 2010; 44:9516-9521. [PMID: 21105699 DOI: 10.1021/es1015845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
A sustainable supply of both energy and water is critical to long-term national security, effective climate policy, natural resource sustainability, and social wellbeing. These two critical resources are inextricably and reciprocally linked; the production of energy requires large volumes of water, while the treatment and distribution of water is also significantly dependent upon energy. In this paper, a hybrid analysis approach is proposed to estimate embodied energy and to perform a structural path analysis of drinking water supply systems. The applicability of this approach is then tested through a case study of a large municipal water utility (city of Kalamazoo) in the Great Lakes region to provide insights on the issues of water-energy pricing and carbon footprints. Kalamazoo drinking water requires approximately 9.2 MJ/m(3) of energy to produce, 30% of which is associated with indirect inputs such as system construction and treatment chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Mo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
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Eckelman MJ, Chertow MR. Quantifying life cycle environmental benefits from the reuse of industrial materials in Pennsylvania. Environ Sci Technol 2009; 43:2550-2556. [PMID: 19452915 DOI: 10.1021/es802345a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Local reuse of waste materials from industrial processes has many potential environmental benefits, but these have been difficult to aggregate and measure across industries on a broad geographic scale. Nonhazardous industrial waste is a high volume flow principally constituted of wastewater with some solid materials. The state of Pennsylvania produced some 20 million metric tons of these residual wastes in 2004. An innovative reporting requirement for industrial generators implemented and compiled by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has resulted in a rich database collected since 1992 of residual waste generation, detailing the fate of more than 100 materials. By combining these records with life cycle inventory (LCI) data, the current and potential environmental benefits of residual waste use have been assessed. Results for Pennsylvania indicate a savings in 2004 of 13 PJ of primary energy, 0.9 million metric tons of CO2eq, 4300 tons of SO2eq, and 4200 tons of NOx emissions from reuse of residual wastes. While these energy savings constitute less than 1% of total industrial primary energy use in the state, it is a greater quantity of energy than that generated by the state's renewable energy sector. The framework and constraints surrounding reuse of residualwaste in Pennsylvania are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Eckelman
- Program in Environmental Engineering, Center for Industrial Ecology, and School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
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Eckelman MJ, Anastas PT, Zimmerman JB. Spatial assessment of net mercury emissions from the use of fluorescent bulbs. Environ Sci Technol 2008; 42:8564-8570. [PMID: 19068849 DOI: 10.1021/es800117h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
While fluorescent lighting is an important technology for reducing electrical energy demand, mercury used in the bulbs is an ongoing concern. Using state and country level data, net emissions of mercury from the marginal use of fluorescent lightbulbs are examined for a base year of 2004 for each of the 50 United States and 130 countries. Combustion of coal for electric power generation is generally the largest source of atmospheric mercury pollution; reduction in electricity demand from the substitution of incandescent bulbs with fluorescents leads to reduced mercury emissions during the use of the bulb. This analysis considers the local mix of power sources, coal quality, thermal conversion efficiencies, distribution losses, and any mercury control technologies that might be in place. Emissions of mercury from production and end-of-life treatment of the bulbs are also considered, providing a life-cycle perspective. Net reductions in mercury over the entire life cycle range from -1.2 to 97 mg per bulb depending on the country. The consequences for atmospheric mercury emissions of several policy scenarios are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Program, Center for Industrial Ecology, Department of Chemistry, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
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Abstract
A detailed accounting of environmental releases of silver is presented for the year 1997, based on data from Yale University's Stocks and Flows (STAF) project and other sources. The analysis is carried out for 64 countries, eight regions, and the world. From the chemical composition and receiving media of these different releases, each emission category is assigned an environmental impact score in accordance with the Indiana Relative Chemical Hazard (IRCH) ranking system. Flows are scaled by impact and land area to form an overall semiquantitative assessment of the environmental impact of silver. Of the 64 countries, the United States has the highest gross emissions for nearly all flows to the environment. On a regional basis, Asia is the largest emitter of silver directly to land and water. In major silver-producing countries, tailings tend to have the highest environmental impact of any emissions category; in nonproducing countries, it is dissipation to land (Hong Kong having the highest impact in this category). Globally, more than 13 Gg of silver are emitted annually to the environment, with that in tailings and landfills making up almost three-fourths of the total. The utility of this method for evaluating the environmental impact of other metals is explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Eckelman
- Program in Environmental Engineering, Center for Industrial Ecology, and School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA.
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