Nanotechnology and Lifecycle Assessment
Life cycle assessment — a cradle-to-grave look at the health and environmental impact of a material, chemical, or product — is an essential tool for ensuring the safe, responsible, and sustainable commercialization of nanotechnology, U.S. and European experts conclude in a new report issued today.
With the number of nanotechnology-enabled products entering the market expected to grow dramatically — from $30 billion in 2005 to $2.6 trillion in global manufactured goods using nanotechnology by 2014 — “numerous uncertainties exist regarding possible impacts on the environment and human health,” the international authors observe in Nanotechnology and Life Cycle Assessment: A Systems Approach to Nanotechnology and the Environment.
According to the report, wisely implemented assessment tools such as LCA can help corporations and researchers determine likely environmental impacts at various stages in a new nanotechnology product’s life cycle. It also enables governments, industry and consumers to compare the environmental performance of a novel nanotech product with that of conventional products already on the market.
