life cycle assessment of disposable razors life cycle assessment of disposable razors

At 20 reuse cycles,16 the results indicate an increase in emissions of nearly 20%. The Environmental Protection Agency classifies DEHP as a probable carcinogen, and as a possible endocrine disrupter.24 The FDA issued an advisory in 2002 recommending steps be taken to reduce the risk of exposure to DEHP in certain populations.25 There is enough evidence of reproductive and developmental toxicant effects from DEHP for the FDA to recommend alternatives for patients deemed at high risk, namely infants, toddlers, and pregnant and lactating women. endstream endobj 752 0 obj <>stream There could be hundreds of different sources for their materials. a Centers for Disease Control. Figure: Life Cycle Assessment steps: goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory, life cycle impact assessment and interpretation (Sala et al., 2016) In the goal and scope phase, the aims of the study are defined, namely the intended application, the reasons for carrying out the study and the intended audience. These results suggest that the reusable LMA Classic has fewer life cycle impacts in comparison with the disposable LMA Unique at Yale New Haven Hospital, across several categories of concern. Choosing models that use alternate materials is recommended, particularly because the American Medical Association is urging hospitals and health systems to reduce their use of PVC products, especially those containing DEHP.26 The shipment of LMAs by air also greatly increased overall impacts, pointing to a strategy of bulk ordering from local distributors well in advance of use, and avoiding overnight shipment whenever possible. However, it is fairly easy to find what the disposable razors components are made of, due to its simplicity. Contact Supplier. But what really goes into making one of these seemingly mundane disposable razors and what happens to it after its tossed in the trash? Wolters Kluwer Health The number of times an LMA is reused is a particularly uncertain assumption, because there have been reports of premature disposal.16 Use in excess of the manufacturer recommended 40 times has also been reported,17 and 100 to 200 uses appears to be possible with proper handling and preuse checks.1821 Here, 10, 20, 30, 60, 80, and 100 cycles are considered as alternative assumptions. Any extra plastic will be discarded, remelted, and reused (Safety Razor, madehow.com). Disposable razors are made up of three components: a hollowed plastic handle, the razor blade, and the plastic head of the razor that holds the blade (Safety Razor). J Clin Anesth 1997;9:432, 20. To compile a detailed life cycle inventory of the environmental burdens The disposable LMA consisted largely of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, and the reusable LMA consisted primarily of silicone. Biro P. Damage to laryngeal masks during sterilization. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Task Force on Infection Control. Sherman JD, Ryan S. Ecological responsibility in anesthesia practice. However, we can discuss the energy usage of different modes of transportation. Two Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methodologies were employed using SimaPro software 51,52 to calculate the environmental impacts of manufacturing both the plastic and compostable coffee . The cartridge-based razor had a slightly higher impact due to the rubber parts which cant be separated from the plastic body. Reducing Trichloroethylene (TCE) Waste in the Fabricated Metals Sector.EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 9 Aug. 2016, www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/reducing-trichloroethylene-tce-waste-fabricated-metals-sector. Life-cycle assessment stages 2002/03 and 2005/06, to include an assessment of the effects of a range of behavioural assumptions on the life cycle environmental impacts of the reusable nappy types, and to compare these with each other and with modern disposable nappies. The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) was introduced into clinical use in the late 1980s and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the US in 1991. In this paper, life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used as a tool to quantify the environmental impacts of disposable medical face masks. Criteria air pollutants arise for the disposable LMA primarily from the production of ethylene (a polymer precursor) and the combustion of natural gas throughout the system, and for the reusable LMA from the combustion of fossil fuels to produce steam and electricity. It all starts with the melting and combining of the desired metal. Innovative and strategic advisor to leading philanthropies, corporates, governments, international institutions and NGOs. How Is Tungsten Carbide Formed? Chronicle, 20 Aug. 2015, chronicle.kennametal.com/how-is-tungsten-carbide-formed/. Safety Razor. How Products Are Made www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html. Int Anesthesiol Clin 2010;48:139, 24. The life cycle assessment software package SimaPro 7.3.2 was used to conduct our analysis.10 The majority of inventory data were drawn from the ecoinvent v2.2 life cycle inventory database.11 Impacts were assessed using the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability v4.02 impact assessment method,12 which encompasses both environmental concerns (such as climate change, acid rain and smog formation, water use, and ozone depletion) and human-health-related impacts (such as cancer and noncancer ailments and emission of criteria air pollutants). The next step the blade goes through is called polishing in which is done using strops made out of cowhide to get the desired blade edge shape, the blade is then cut into the sizes of the individual blades, which are then sent off to be inspected. Resources, Conservation & Recycling 156 (2020) 104704. LCA is a standardized, science-based tool for quantifying the impact in order to assess lifetime environmental impact. It takes a lifetime perspective LCA takes into consideration all the steps that lead from raw material through manufacture, distribution and usage to final disposal. At every point during planning, production, and even marketing, the quantity of consumption should be analyzed to adjust business models accordingly. GaBi includes its own database containing life cycle inventories of processes such as polypropylene manufacturing, transportation, and landfill . Olsen, Alexandra. To begin the process of making tungsten carbide, the tungsten must first be extracted. Contribution: This author helped design the study and prepare the manuscript. There are land, air, and water-based transportation methods. The Bic corporation considers their environmental impact and takes steps to reduce as much waste as possible. Figueredo E. Changes in the intracuff pressure of the laryngeal masks airway caused by repeated use. Overview. Kaplan, Desire. The environmental impacts of the 2 LMAs were estimated using SimaPro life cycle assessment software and the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability impact assessment method. Phase 3: Life Cycle Impact Assessment. Life cycle assessment of a disposable and a reusable surgery instrument set for spinal fusion surgeries Leiden A, Cerdas F, Noriega D, Beyerlein J, Herrmann C. Life cycle assessment of a disposable and reusable surgery instrument set for spinal fusion surgeries. It is at this stage that very small amounts of other metals such as iron, silicon, and chromium may be added to the carbide to increase its strength and durability. Quantifying the Environmental Impacts of Labor. Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Transportation, 2002, 14. Teoh W, Lim Y. They also reported how they dealt with their non-hazardous waste 76 percent was recycled, 11 percent incineration with energy recovery, 10 percent was sent to land disposal, and the remaining 3 percent was sent off for a different treatment (For You for Everyone Registration Document). After reaching the end of their useful lives, both LMAs and their respective packages entered waste management, which was modeled using US average statistics on recycling/composting, landfilling, and incineration.15 Although some incineration facilities also produce electricity, this credit is not included here. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. CASE STUDY ANALYSIS - CLEAN EDGE, NON DISPOSABLE RAZOR Q1. Cargo planes and other transport aircraft use jet fuel which produces 135,000 BTU per gallon (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). Upgrading to a new, energy-efficient autoclave machine leads to a nearly equal reduction in life cycle GHG emissions and may be considered particularly in instances in which older equipment is being used. It can also help them to compare the newly redesigned product to the original, acting as a benchmark to ensure the design changes are actually positive for the environment. PurposeIn this study, a life cycle assessment of a bioplastic based diaper was performed. The largest sources of both cancer and noncancer impacts for the reusable LMA are from emissions from waste management (35%), the mining and production of metals to build wastewater treatment infrastructure (25%), and the bleaching of packaging paper and the card insert (20%). The product fails to include proper instructions for its waste management, causing it to be disposed of, as the name suggests. According to studies done by the EPA, tungsten steel was originally tested as a stable metal in soil that does not dissolve easily in water (EPA). Data Uncertainty. The reusable LMA was found to have a more favorable environmental profile than the disposable LMA as used at Yale New Haven Hospital. Contribution: This author helped conduct the study and analyze the data. Erosion time for the blades was difficult to find, yet tungsten steel does erode faster than the plastic elements to the disposable razor due to the carbon alloys brittle makeup. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) measures the impact of products on the environment. Safety Razor.How Products Are Made, www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html. 13, 14 There are few published life cycle assessment studies of medical items (ref. With such a fast accumulating waste and slow decomposition rate, there must be changes and incentive for companies to rethink the disposable razor. Ecoinvent 2.2. There is uncertainty in several model assumptions. Paper diapers for infants, which are highly convenient as they do not require laundering like cloth diapers, are essential for daily life in Japan. 1982, www.nytimes.com/1982/04/11/business/how-bic-lost-the-edge-to-gillette.html. The autoclave was typically run with 5 LMAs, although loading varied significantly. The blades, which are made from a carbide steel made using tungsten carbide, the handle, which is made from a combination of plastics such as polypropylene, polystyrene, and phenylene oxide (PPO), and the cartridge, which is made up of these plastics and sometimes the carbide steel as well (Safety Razor, madehow.com). Lv, Andrea Lind, and Tigist Fetene. Small components such as inks and labels on the packaging and on the sterilization indicator strips are expected to have negligible impacts and were excluded from the analysis. There is also an additional resin called fluorine resin that is applied to the blades, which allows them to freely glide on the skin. Most of those razors just end up in a landfill because most countries are not recycling them. The Eco-Indicator method is a tool developed to help designers conduct a simplified LCA study. Each year in Italy, millions of tons of fruits and vegetables are harvested, packed and transported to national and foreign retail outlets. Ans: (i) Significant growth in industry of super premium segment . Highly effective in driving partnerships, public policies and projects that accelerate the shift towards a sustainable built environment. The extraction and consumption of resources (including energy), as well as releases to air, water, and soil, are quantified throughout all stages. Ison E, Miller A. endstream endobj startxref Growing awareness of the negative impacts from the practice of health care on the environment and public health calls for the routine inclusion of life cycle criteria into the decision-making process of device selection. Each manufacturing plant or node in the supply chain is referred to as agate-to-gate (GTG) life cycle inventory. Wang, Chun Tsin, and Alexander Sutulor. Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Inc., 26 Sept. 2012, www.britannica.com/technology/tungsten-processing#ref82029. Since then, around 60 billion razors have been produced, distributed, and sold worldwide. After the products are packaged, there has to be a way for them to get to the end consumer. The environmental impacts of the 2 LMAs were estimated using SimaPro life cycle assessment software and the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability impact assessment method. After the reusable LMA was washed and dried, it was then placed into a heat seal pouch, made of polypropylene film and paper. A life cycle assessment or analysis according to ISO 14040/14044 is an instrument of environmental and sustainability management. The Potential of Polypropylene.Recycling Today, Recycling Today, 17 July 2019, www.recyclingtoday.com/article/the-recycling-potential-of-polypropylene/. International Sympsium on Sustainable Systems and Technology. Chain Management by Life Cycle Assessment (CMLCA) software has been used to conduct the LCA and Ecoinvent 2.01 has been used for life cycle inventory data. Using BEES to select cost-effective green products. Bic USAs 2016 registration document provides information about the waste produced during the manufacturing of the razors. Get new journal Tables of Contents sent right to your email inbox, http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/cjd/qa_cjd_infection_control.htm, Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Laryngeal Mask Airways, Articles in PubMed by Matthew Eckelman, PhD, Articles in Google Scholar by Matthew Eckelman, PhD, Other articles in this journal by Matthew Eckelman, PhD, May 2012 - Environment and Anesthesia Practice, A Comparison of Reusable and Disposable Perioperative Textiles: Sustainability State-of-the-Art 2012, Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Anesthetic Drugs, Environmental and Occupational Considerations of Anesthesia: A Narrative Review and Update, Global Warming Potential of Inhaled Anesthetics: Application to Clinical Use, A Survey of Anesthesiologists' Views of Operating Room Recycling, Privacy Policy (Updated December 15, 2022), International Anesthesia Research Society. Disposable and reusable LMAs typically differ in material composition, packaging, reuse, and cost. Gathering all the data for the LCA is the most difficult part of the task, and normally assumptions have to be made where its impossible to gather all the knowledge required, thus not all the relevant impacts are considered. The materials used in the production of disposable razors are limited due to the products simplicity however, many of the materials are unsustainable in that they are not biodegradable or easily recyclable, and require heavy energy input to manufacture. Zhang TW, Dornfeld DA. Bic has attempted to lower their direct emissions by having factories world-wide and creating: a Transport Community which connects shipping managers on each continent to raise control for greenhouse gas emissions, optimize shipments and routes, and use only responsible carriers (Bic). The steps in LCA are (1) goal and scope definition, (2) life cycle inventory analysis (LCI), (3) life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), and (4) interpretation of the results. Life Cycle Approach to Plastic Pollution - Life Cycle Initiative Our news to your inbox Click to subscribe to LC Net info@lifecycleinitiative.org About Us Our Activities & Tools Reports & Training News & Events Get Involved Life Cycle Approach to Plastic Pollution Activities Life Cycle Assessment in High-Impact sectors hbbd``b`z$k@D The main causes of the reusable LMA's environmental impacts are the steam used in the autoclave sterilizing machine and, to a lesser extent, the wastewater generated from washing the LMAs. The use of LCA to introduce life-cycle thinking into decision-making for the purchase of medical devices in the NHS. And then there's the water. After getting the sharpened blade they are coated with a thin film to allows them to not lose sharpness after only a few shaves (Manufacturing Processes). Convenience is a potential advantage for disposable LMAs, and facilities that use reusable LMAs must ensure that a variety of sizes are always available when needed. Life Cycle Impact Assessment is the estimation of indicators of the environmental pressures in terms of e.g. This obviously makes the results less accurate, but it can still be used as a general indicator of impact. The EPA has said in their 2014 report: Currently, little information is available about the fate and transport of tungsten in the environment and its effects on human health. In this paper, this will be exactly what we will discuss, from what materials go into making a disposable razor and how they are made, to what happens to it after its tossed out, and all the energy and waste that is used and expelled throughout its lifecycle. The high waste from manufacturing and shipping such a small, and cheap product is one that is negatively impacting the planet. The total amount of indirect emissions was 89,762 tonnes of carbon dioxide (For You For Everyone Registration Document). The second component of the razor is the plastic body which is made of a fairly inexpensive plastic called polystyrene. LCA for product sustainability. Product Ecology (PR) Consultants. It can be used to study the environmental impact of either a product or the function the product is designed to perform. Redesigning the Razor Life Cycle Assessment.The Great Recovery, www.greatrecovery.org.uk/resources/3682/. The life cycle assessment results shown here allow clinicians and health care administrators to understand the balance between direct benefits of a given LMA choice to local patient care and the environmental and human health impacts of that choice that occur far from the operating room. More immediate levels of waste, however, happen during the processing of disposable razors before they are even brought to the buyer and the landfill. However, by looking at just this one company, there is a sense of the massive amount of direct and indirect emissions from just the making of razors that are thrown away so quickly after use, with an increase annually of users. The designed short user-time of disposable razors, causes their life cycle to be spent mostly in the landfill where they will remain for hundreds of years due to non-biodegradable plastic, however, recycling the plastic and steel is possible if sent to specific recycling facilities, which could reduce the life cycle and negative impact on the environment. In BIC factories they pride themselves in producing a quality product, so the blades go through a series of highly precise visual inspections with cameras which help with rejecting blades that do not meet BIC standards (Case Studies) After that they go through visual inspection is done be BIC employees to reject any blades that the cameras were not rejected by the inspection camera system, the blades are then send off to be coated and burned. Can J Anaesth 2001;48:40912, 22. Put the blades in the steel recycling section. Gillette Mach3 Men's Disposable Razor for Sensitive Skin - Best Cartridge Razor for Sensitive Skin. Another advantage is that the process produces a single score (Eco-Indicator Point) for the all the impacts of the product, not just individual ones for each part. To begin the process of creating the metal, the tungsten is purified and ground into a fine powder. climate change, summer smog, resource depletion, acidification, human health effects, etc. In phase 3, we evaluate how significant the impacts are. In this post I havent shown the whole process, but there are downloadable links to my full Eco-Indicator results, and to the template form if youd like to carry out an assessment yourself. 4.Complete the form 1. Highlights 3.Quantify the materials and processes Therefore, to help designers get started and make informed decisions, a Life cycle Analysis (LCA) can be carried out using the information gathered during the research stage. a 4.1% (Bic). In life cycle assessment, the basis of comparison is called the functional unit. For this report, the functional unit of the disposable and reusable LMAs was taken to be maintenance of airway patency by 40 disposable LMAs or 40 uses of 1 reusable LMA. LCA can be used to compare alternative products, processes or services; compare alternative life cycles for a certain product . Weissman, Alexander, et al. From:. How One Facility Completely Eliminated the Use of TCE Schick Razor Blade Manufacturing in Knoxville, Tennessee. 2017. The most important sources of impacts for the disposable LMA were the production of polymers, packaging, and waste management, whereas for the reusable LMA, washing and sterilization dominated for most impact categories. How Does Polystyrene Recycling Work?HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 4 Apr. The alternatives are objects made of bio compostable plastic,. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Each razor can last up to 12 gentle shaves. There are some solutions and new recycling ideas, yet, the reduction of waste for disposable razors is still far off. Anaesth Intensive Care 2010;38:538, 9. Considering human health concerns, the majority (60%) of impacts for the disposable LMA is due to the production of polymers, PVC in particular, with emissions from incineration contributing another 15%. Both were assumed to be transported to Los Angeles, CA, by container ship, and from there by truck to the company distribution center in San Diego, CA. Manufacturer specifications indicate 20 kWh of electricity use for a 5-minute cycle at 135C. These impacts are quantified here in terms of energy use, water use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using general factors for US labor.22. Bics direct emissions were from: a combustion of fossil fuels, primarily natural gas and fuel oil, mainly used to heat buildings. 2011, Packaging Technology and Science. Approximately 24 L/min of water are used by the autoclave for cooling, for a total of 960 L of water needed to sterilize an LMA 40 times. Table 2 shows the results of alternate assumption on the overall results. After that, the metal is pressed down to the desired blade thickness which is around 1mm (Manufacturing Processes). BIC reported that the weight of one of their most popular disposable razors is 8.8 grams (Shavers). Subramaniar Trading Company. PPO elements of the disposable razor are hard to determine in years, however, data shows that most plastic items take up to 1,000 years to begin to decompose (LeBlanc). GaBi is a LCA software that allows its users to connect environmental impacts to a product across its lifespan. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011, 16. Where material types were unknown, proxies were assumed from relevant literature,2 although more detailed material information from suppliers would permit a more robust analysis. Yet, tungsten has been found to deposit particles into the soil that causes some contamination, making it a recent concern to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Environment Agency (Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the U.K.) investigated the impact of three diapering systems: cloth diapers with home wash, cloth diapers with commercial laundry, and disposable diapers. Sensitivity and simple life cycle cost analyses were conducted to aid in interpretation of the results. The biggest impact during the cartridge-based razor life-cycle is manufacturing the cartridge as this is the part which is hardest to make.