title: General prevention and risk minimization in LCA: a combined approach.
abstract: Methods for life cycle assessment of products (LCA) are most often based on the general prevention principle, as opposed to the risk minimization principle. Here, the desirability and feasibility of a combined approach are discussed, along with the conditions for elaboration in the framework of LCA methodology, and the consequences for LCA practice. A combined approach provides a separate assessment of above and below threshold pollution, offering the possibility to combat above threshold impacts with priority. Spatial differentiation in fate, exposure, and effect modelling is identified to play a central role in the implementation. The collection of region-specific data turns out to be the most elaborate requirement for the implementation in both methodology and practice. A methodological framework for the construction of characterization factors is provided. Along with spatial differentiation of existing parameters, two newly introduced spatial parameters play a key role: the sensitivity factor and the threshold factor. The practicability of the proposed procedure is illustrated by an example of its application. Providing a reasonable data availability, the development of separate LCA characterization factors for the respective assessment of pollution levels above and below environmental threshold values seems to be a feasible task that may add to LCA credibility.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Environmental Science, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9518, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. sleeswijk@cml.leidenuniv.nl
authors.forename: Anneke Wegener
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Sleeswijk
mesh_terms: D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control; D008420:Manufactured Materials; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants