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An R-Based Landscape Validation of a Competing Risk Model
Published on: September 16, 2022
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Integrate life-cycle assessment and risk analysis results, not methods
Igor Linkov1, Benjamin D Trump1,2, Ben A Wender3,4
1US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Concord, Massachusetts 01742, USA.
Nature Nanotechnology
|August 5, 2017
Summary
Environmental policy relies on risk analysis (RA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA). Integrating these methods is slow, but nanotechnology challenges further data-driven integration, suggesting parallel application instead.
Area of Science:
- Environmental science and policy
- Toxicology
- Materials science
Background:
- Risk analysis (RA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) are dominant environmental assessment methods.
- RA focuses on specific toxicological hazards, while LCA offers a holistic impact estimation.
- Integrating RA and LCA has been recommended for 15 years, but progress is slow due to data limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the challenges posed by nanotechnology to traditional environmental assessment methods.
- To evaluate the feasibility of integrating RA and LCA in light of rapid nanomaterial innovation.
- To propose a pragmatic approach for environmental decision-making regarding emerging technologies.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of existing environmental assessment frameworks (RA and LCA).
- Evaluation of the impact of nanotechnology on data acquisition for environmental assessment.
- Comparative assessment of data-driven integration versus parallel application of RA and LCA.
Main Results:
- Nanotechnology innovation outpaces the acquisition of relevant environmental data, rendering dataset completion-based integration futile.
- RA and LCA are suited for different purposes and answer distinct questions.
- A parallel application of RA and LCA, with integration of results post-analysis, is a more pragmatic approach.
Conclusions:
- Traditional integration of RA and LCA based on data completion is impractical for rapidly evolving fields like nanotechnology.
- Parallel application of RA and LCA allows for distinct analyses before synthesizing findings.
- This approach offers better guidance for environmental decision-making concerning novel materials.
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