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Radiological impacts in Life Cycle Assessment. Part I: General framework and two practical methodologies.
Andrea Paulillo1, Roland Clift2, Jonathan M Dodds3
1Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1 E7JE, United Kingdom.
The Science of the Total Environment
|December 7, 2019
Summary
This study introduces a framework and two new methods, UCrad and Critical Group Methodology (CGM), to assess the environmental impacts of ionizing radiation in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). These methods improve the inclusion of radionuclide effects in industrial impact analyses.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Radiological Science
- Industrial Ecology
Background:
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) currently overlooks the impacts of ionizing radiation.
- A lack of standardized frameworks hinders the inclusion of radionuclide effects alongside other industrial emissions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an overarching framework for integrating radionuclide impacts into the Impact Assessment phase of LCA.
- To develop and present two alternative methodologies: UCrad and Critical Group Methodology (CGM).
Main Methods:
- Developed a compartment-type methodology (UCrad) for radionuclide impact assessment.
- Adapted Critical Group Methodology (CGM) from standard Risk Assessment practices.
- Calculated characterization factors for emitted species using both UCrad and CGM, comparing them to the Human Health Damages methodology.
Main Results:
- UCrad and CGM provide a comprehensive framework for incorporating radionuclide impacts in LCA.
- Results from UCrad and CGM generally align with the Human Health Damages methodology.
- UCrad characterization factors closely resemble those from CGM.
Conclusions:
- The proposed framework and UCrad methodology represent a significant advancement in including ionizing radiation impacts in LCA.
- UCrad offers a robust approach for modeling radionuclide transport and dispersion in environmental impact assessments.
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