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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. In their study of Life cycle assessment of wastewater treatment technologies treating petroleum process waters, Vlaopolous et al. LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE | Science Inventory - US EPA 4. : Uses, Benefits, and Safety Facts. ChemicalSafetyFacts.org, 17 June 2019, www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/polystyrene/. From San Diego, both LMAs were assumed to be transported 4700 km by truck to New Haven, CT (70% of shipments in the US are made by truck).13. Goodman EJ, Haas AJ. Sensitivity and simple life cycle cost analyses were conducted to aid in interpretation of the results. On the Venus Gillette company website, they provide the buyer with a guide for choosing which razor is best by asking: When it comes to choosing a razor, how do you know if a disposable or reusable razor is right for you? (What's the Difference Between Disposable and Reusable Razors for Women? Venus)This question, however, only affects the buyers short usage time, and does not provide any information as to the rest of the razors life-cycle after they are ready for a new razor blade and they: throw away the entire razor and grab a new one as recommended by the manufacturer (Venus). Quantifying the Environmental Impacts of Labor. From mining and extracting the natural tungsten metal, to making the metal alloy and manufacturing just the blade, waste is released. Anyone can send in razors of any kind, and the plastic and cardboard packaging as well. After the end of their recommended lifetime, reusable LMAs were also placed in municipal solid waste containers. Select patients who are highly infective warrant the choice of disposable devices; however, data do not support selecting disposables for all patients to avoid any possible risk of infection. #3. Kelly, John. Iatrogenic transmission of the CreutzfeldtJakob disease agent has been reported in >250 patients worldwide, and 6 of these were linked to the use of contaminated equipment, all of which were neurosurgical related. Life-cycle assessment stages Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - Complete Beginner's Guide - Ecochain For a number of perioperative textiles, surgical instruments, and anesthetic devices, a life cycle assessment (LCA) has been done and has shown reusables to be environmentally favorable to disposables [ 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 ]. To aid in solving this issue, I believe consumers should stray away from wasteful disposable razors and be encouraged to go with more sustainable and longer lasting options such as classic safety razors. Finally, the razors are packaged in cardboard and plastic, and shipped out to stores and markets globally for customers to purchase and use. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Sustainability Assessment - Fraunhofer However, given the environmental toll to such a fast accumulating, and non-biodegradable product, waste management must be more considered by both the manufacturers and the buyers. 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. Land transport like trains and trucks use diesel as fuel and that produced 138,700 BTU (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). 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. It has been assumed that the only part recycled at the end of life is the packaging. McGain F, McAlister S, McGavin A, Story D. The financial and environmental costs of reusable and single-use plastic anaesthetic drug trays. The plastic handle and head of the disposable razor consists of a hybrid of polypropylene, polystyrene, and phenylene oxide, also known as PPO. A Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable Razors. Disposable and reusable nappies in the UK: life cycle assessment BIC has done their best to deal with waste in an environmentally conscious manner. The high waste from manufacturing and shipping such a small, and cheap product is one that is negatively impacting the planet. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - Europa PDF A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Compostable and Reusable Takeout An updated lifecycle assessment for disposable and reusable nappies Report that looks at the effect of disposable and reusable nappies on global warming and other environmental impacts. In the case of the disposable razor however, it is fairly simple due to its nature. Direct emissions refer to any emissions that resulted from the burning of fossil fuels and Indirect emissions refer to any emissions that resulted from the generation of electricity. An LCA is an accounting of the inputs and outputs for a product system, beginning with extraction of raw materials from the earth and continuing through all of the steps of transportation, manufacturing, product fabrication, product use, and end-of-life, which may include reuse, recycling . Life Cycle Assessment explained: an introduction to building LCA Tungsten Carbide. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten_carbide. The product doesnt contain any material labels, so the materials have been assumed to be low alloy steel for the body, PP for the plastic parts of the body, EPDM rubber for the grip and an acrylic polymer coating for the lubricating band. Data is temporarily unavailable. Contrary to common expectation, hair is actually pretty hard. A 2005 analysis published by U.K. In my research, I was not able to find specifics about where BIC sources their materials, I believe that this is due to them being a global company. The blades and lubricating strip were too light to be measured with our equipment so their weights were rounded to 1g. Address e-mail to [emailprotected]. Decision makers have typically favored disposable LMAs because the purchase price is perceived to be less for a comparable quantity of disposable LMAs, in comparison with 1 reusable LMA with its associated labor costs for in-house reprocessing.6. A complete life cycle cost analysis would complement the life cycle assessment results shown here; however, a simple analysis reveals that, assuming full utilization, a $200 reusable LMA costs $5 per use, plus $3 per cleaning for a unit cost of $8, excluding utility and hospital overhead costs. Ans: (i) Significant growth in industry of super premium segment . Because the human health impacts of the disposable LMAs are dominated by plastics, increasing the amount of PVC by 10% leads to a significant (>5%) increase in cancer and noncancer effects. How One Company Keeps Used Razors Out Of Oceans.Green Matters, Green Matters, 25 Sept. 2017, www.greenmatters.com/news/2017/09/25/Z1oInGt/razors-ocean. This points to the need for effective inventory control, which is also critical for the reusable devices because there needs to be a sufficient number clean and on hand while another batch is undergoing cleaning, sterilization, and cooling. Bics direct emissions were from: a combustion of fossil fuels, primarily natural gas and fuel oil, mainly used to heat buildings. This is because of the complexity of the life cycle, from the acquisition of materials to the management of a product at the end of its life. Anaesth Intensive Care 2004;32:5304, 4. Gillette Razor Local Recycling Solutions.TerraCycle, www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette-local-recycling. Overcash M. Comparison of reusable and disposable medical textiles. LCA is the most common tool for quantifying the environmental effects associated with a product, process, or service's entire life (Baumann and Tillman 2004).LCA was performed in accordance with the international standards of the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 . Pollution of the oceans from plastics has become an increasingly large issue that researchers are still assessing. Weissman, Alexander, et al. LCA can be used to compare alternative products, processes or services; compare alternative life cycles for a certain product . Finally, the need for manual labor in the cleaning process of reusable LMAs contributed to the costs of these LMAs. On the basis of information provided by the distributing company, the disposable LMA was manufactured in Hangzhou, China, and the reusable LMA was manufactured in Singapore. There are some solutions and new recycling ideas, yet, the reduction of waste for disposable razors is still far off. In addition, although this life cycle assessment study did not analyze health impacts during use of an LMA, intraoperative exposure to diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is of some concern. To make the handle and cartridges, these various plastics are heated together and melted together along with optional colorants and various filler materials. At an average of 10 reuse cycles, GHG impacts increase by >50%, and this is the break-even point at which the GHG emissions from reusable and disposable LMAs are essentially equal. Sensor3 disposable razors for men feature an enhanced Lubrastrip with water activated Comfortgel technology for ultra-gentle shaving on your sensitive skin. Overall, while the materials for disposable razors are few, and the products basic design makes it appear simplistic, the products lifecycle is far from simple. %PDF-1.5 % For both environmental and cost considerations, management and operating procedures should be put in place to ensure that reusable LMAs are not discarded prematurely. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a process of evaluating the effects that a product has on the environment over the entire period of its life thereby increasing resource-use efficiency and decreasing liabilities. Swiss Center for Life Cycle Inventories. No such cases have been reported since 1976.a There is no reported case of iatrogenic infection of any type linked to a reusable LMA. This break-even point will change depending on the category of environmental impact being considered. Properly following the instructions it should (hopefully) leave you with three pieces, the handle, the metal blade, the plastic that was covering the blade. Differences in environmental impacts between devices may present a compelling consideration in their selection. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Solid Waste Management Consultants It is cheap and highly versatile, and can either be hard plastic material, or a soft foam material, making it one of the most common plastic materials manufactured and used (What Is Polystyrene? The metal that can be used in the cartridge is also cut out during this stage. When designing a product for circularity it is often difficult to know where to begin. The use of disposable razors is unsustainable with our growing population and increased demand. The life of a typical razor blade is not an easy one. How Does Polystyrene Recycling Work?HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 4 Apr. Technical Fact Sheet-Tungsten.Technical Fact Sheet- Tungsten, EPA, Jan. 2014, www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-03/documents/ffrrofactsheet_contaminant_tungsten_january2014_final.pdf. 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). Sustainability | Free Full-Text | Reducing the Environmental Impact of 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. On the other hand, extending the number of uses to 80 (doubling the lifetime) reduces GHG emissions by 9%. The autoclave was typically run with 5 LMAs, although loading varied significantly. This is only the operational energy consumption, but you still have to take into account all the energy used in the design and installation of the machinery. Powers, Matt, and Amanda M. Can You Recycle Disposable Razors? Earth911.Com, 30 July 2019, earth911.com/living-well-being/health/can-you-recycle-disposable-razors/. a 4.1% (Bic). 1.Establish the purpose of the Eco-Indicator calculations The tungsten carbide is then ground into an extremely fine powder in a wet mill process, where metal binders and other metals such as cobalt may be added to increase the metals strength and durability and to help hold the powder together when it is shaped. Polystyrene is not biodegradable and takes hundreds of years to break down. hbbd``b`z$k@D BIC Group, 2016, Sustainable Development Report. Chicago: American Medical Association, 2006, 27. Interpretation of results The last step in the process is to interpret the results and compare them against each other. The next step in the process is the assembly of all the parts. 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. It all starts with the melting and combining of the desired metal. Health care facilities can decrease their environmental impacts by using reusable LMAs, by selecting disposable LMA models that are not made of certain plastics, and by ordering in bulk from local distributors. The metal and plastic components of the cartridges will be assembled, where they will then go to the next station where the blades will be inserted. Resources, Conservation & Recycling 156 (2020) 104704. For climate change impacts specifically, the reusable LMA contributes 7.4 kg CO2e of GHGs over its life cycle, and the equivalent 40 disposable LMAs contribute 11.3 kg CO2e, or approximately the equivalent to burning a gallon (4 L) of gasoline. These few simple materials go through processes of heating, cooling, moulding, cutting, and sharpening throughout their manufacturing process to eventually become the handle, razor blades, and blade cartridge, that will then be assembled to become a disposable razor. qILL@#nO @8 A life cycle assessment or analysis according to ISO 14040/14044 is an instrument of environmental and sustainability management. The total amount of direct GHG emissions in 2016 was estimated at 8,689 teqCO2, i.e. This assessment is exceptionally useful as it shows the designer what areas are the most impactful during the products life cycle. But this is expected from a large brand like Gillette. Plastics are cleaned and pelletized to be recycled into new products, such as picnic tables and park benches. 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. f'C58NQ}i:]1 $Nh@b8H|iWILGgj{J27]Xp0N@h+ !` >q BIC Disposable Razor Design Life-Cycle Amazon.com: Bulk Disposable Razors London What Is Polystyrene? To begin the process of making tungsten carbide, the tungsten must first be extracted. During production, two components have to be created which are the blade and the plastic body. associated with the environmental interventions attributable to the life-cycle of a product. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): A Guide to Best Practice - ResearchGate 0 8tZ With the recommended use of three to ten uses for disposable razors, they quickly end up in the landfill to decompose. All of these software packages and models are in widespread use by life cycle assessment practitioners in the US and internationally. The Eco-Indicator method is a tool developed to help designers conduct a simplified LCA study. It is a thermoplastic that exhibits high heat resistance, dimensional stability, and accuracy and is often combined with other plastics, such as polystyrene, due to various problems in its processing (Poly(p-Phenylene Oxide, Wikipedia.org). In this paper, life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used as a tool to quantify the environmental impacts of disposable medical face masks. What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)? - Sphera The LMA, within the heat seal pouch, was then placed in the steam autoclave sterilizing machine (Castle/Getinge MC 3522). Applying this method of assessment is complex and difficult and translating the theory into a . Life Cycle Assessments - Diaper Answers Siddle, Dave. Everything You Need To Know About Polypropylene (PP) Plastic. Everything You Need To Know About Polypropylene (PP) Plastic, https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/all-about-polypropylene-pp-plastic. Packaging is an . 2. With the results we supply the basis for strategic decisions for sustainable action. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a framework for assessing the environmental impacts of product systems and decisions. The purpose of this assessment is to compare two different types of razors: cartridge based vs. double edge safety razor. 11,772. Anesthesia & Analgesia114(5):1067-1072, May 2012. J Clin Anesth 1997;9:432, 20. Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. Policy H-135.945: Encouraging Alternatives to PVC/DEHP Products in Health. There much environmentally friendly options when it comes to shavings, such as the traditional safety razor and straight razors, which can have a much longer life than disposable razors. 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). This means that it takes around 1 BTU to heat a 0.035-ounce razor blade to the desired temperature (Julabo et.al). The indirect emissions were mostly from the electricity use in the factories. 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. Shavers. BICWorld, www.bicworld.com/en/our-products/shavers. (i)What changes occurring in non-disposable Razor category? What IS Life Cycle Assessment? The remaining percentage is split up between energy consumption in their three facilities in: Clichy (France), Shelton (U.S.), and Cajamar (Brazil) (For You For Everyone: Registration Document, Bic). 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 major problem with recycling this plastic however, is that during the heating process, the plastic degrades in quality making it less valuable (What Is Tungsten Carbide or Hard Metal?, AZoM.com). Steel Life Cycle.SSAB, www.ssab.com/company/sustainability/sustainable-offering/steel-life-cycle?di=discover21C927E58ECC41198B78D915F7E3E2AF. In this case its much harder for me to carry out an LCA on a Gillette razor than if Gillette did the LCA themselves, as they would have all the correct info required first-hand (reducing the number of assumptions needing to be used). The differences in environmental impacts between these devices may present a compelling consideration in device selection when concern for infection transmission is not a factor. They are resins that maintain a high dimensional stability, which helps create fast and cheap plastic razor handles (Safety Razor). The LMAs were first rinsed in tap water, scrubbed externally with a Hibiclens sponge and internally with a small scrub brush, and rinsed again. Anesth Analg 1993;77:1079, 21. A life-cycle assessment or LCA is a 'cradle to grave' analysis of the impact of a manufactured product on the environment. Williams S, Henderson K. A survey into the number of times laryngeal masks are used. Disposable razors are a commonly used item for most Americans, and over two billion razors are thrown away every year in the United States (Shabecoff). 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. The unit cost of disposable LMAs is 20% higher at approximately $9.60 per unit. They report their waste production being at 340 tons, which represented an increase of 22% from 2015 (Bic). Disposable BIC razors are hollow and made using injection molding, but making the razors hollow is only possible because of the fluid nature of polystyrene (The Bic Razor, Still the Sharpest of the Bunch.). Assessing all steps in that life cycle provides insight into individual stresses and burden shifts from one step to another and enables understanding of both the cumulative environmental impacts and related trade-offs in each area, throughout the lifespan of both a facility and its manufactured products. The effect of alternate transport modes was quite small for the reusable LMA but quite significant for the disposable LMAs, leading to a large increase in GHG emissions in particular from air freight. There are so many variables that you have to take into account when calculating how much of an impact a product is having on the environment and our resources. Polycarbonate production (14%), transportation via truck (15%), thermoforming (13%), and waste disposal (11%) cause the majority of the remaining emissions. What Is Tungsten Carbide?" 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 Assessment (LCA) measures the impact of products on the environment. 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. 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. Redesigning the Razor Life Cycle Assessment. The Great Recovery, http://www.greatrecovery.org.uk/resources/3682/. Life cycle assessment of bio-based products: a disposable diaper case Our LCA team retains its reputation as the most experienced life cycle staff in North America.