life cycle assessment of disposable razors10 marca 2023
Conversely, impacts can be reduced by autoclaving more LMAs at once or with other equipment with similar decontamination requirements. Eckelman, Matthew PhD*; Mosher, Margo; Gonzalez, Andres; Sherman, Jodi MD. To create the metal compound, carbon is added to the purified tungsten in a complex chemical process where the materials are heated to over 2,200 degrees celsius. 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. BIC Group, 2016, Sustainable Development Report. Health care facilities can decrease their environmental impacts by using reusable LMAs, to a lesser extent by selecting disposable LMA models that are not made of certain plastics, and by ordering in bulk from local distributors. One of their most popular products is the disposable razor, which they started to manufacture in 1975. Criteria for the selection and purchase of medical devices typically include safety for patients and staff, efficacy and ease of use, and purchase and handling prices. 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. LCA's are completed particularly in relation to how to develop a sustainable world where less waste and more reuse is implemented. How One Facility Completely Eliminated the Use of TCE Schick Razor Blade Manufacturing in Knoxville, Tennessee. 2017. Eshwar Shop. Life cycle assessment, according to ISO 14040/44, is conducted in four steps [29,30,31]: (1) goal and scope definition, (2) life cycle inventory, (3) life cycle impact assessment, and (4) interpretation. When designing a product for circularity it is often difficult to know where to begin. 21 offers from $5.20. It all starts with the melting and combining of the desired metal. Thomas, G.P. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a technique for assessing the potential environmental aspects and potential aspects associated with a product (or service), by: compiling an inventory of relevant inputs and outputs, evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated with those inputs and outputs, It is also often not accepted in curbside recycling, and even when it is, it is not separated and recycled when it reaches the dumping station, making it an unsustainable and wasteful material (Polystyrene. Wikipedia.org). (i)What changes occurring in non-disposable Razor category? At the end of applying the additives, the blades are once again heated, to cement the coating onto the blade. A major flaw in the disposable razors design is in fact its inability to be sustainably and properly disposed, despite what its name suggests. Anyone can send in razors of any kind, and the plastic and cardboard packaging as well. The metal is then heated and then cooled slowly to remove any internal stress, which makes it tougher, this process is called annealing (Safety Razor). But what really goes into making one of these seemingly mundane disposable razors and what happens to it after its tossed in the trash? Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method used to estimate the total environmental impacts from producing a good or service. 1. 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. There could be hundreds of different sources for their materials. 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. Once Terracycle has collected the waste, it is: broken down and separated by material. The second component of the razor is the plastic body which is made of a fairly inexpensive plastic called polystyrene. Materials were matched with appropriate life cycle inventory records from the ecoinvent database.11 Injection molding was assumed for the hard plastic pieces (polycarbonate and ABS plastic) and thermoforming for the softer plastics (silicone, polypropylene, and PVC). endstream endobj 749 0 obj <>/Metadata 40 0 R/Pages 746 0 R/StructTreeRoot 63 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 750 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 746 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI]>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 751 0 obj <>stream The specific type or blend of plastic for BIC razors is used is called polystyrene (Europe). Wat LI, Brimacombe JR, Gee S. Laryngeal mask airway longevity and pilot-balloon failure. Anesth Analg 2004;99:6267, 17. The final value for the cartridge-based razor was 115.06 mPt, and the value for the double edge safety razor was 15.70 mPt. This makes it an easy and quick method to start the analysis of a product and aid the designer when creating alternative concepts which are more environmentally friendly, because they can clearly identify what areas need improvement and which ones work well already. Redesigning the Razor Life Cycle Assessment. The Great Recovery, http://www.greatrecovery.org.uk/resources/3682/. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 2009;53:6878, 19. 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. 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). Properties: Tungsten Carbide-An Overview. AZoM.com, 25 Nov. 2019, www.azom.com/properties.aspx?ArticleID=1203. 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. Address correspondence to Jodi Sherman, MD, Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, 333 Cedar Street, TMP3, New Haven, CT 06520. Each razor can last up to 12 gentle shaves. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) Hazard Summary. After the products are packaged, there has to be a way for them to get to the end consumer. 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. The Ramboll Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) found that, assuming realistic usage over a year, the energy consumption involved in the use phase of reusable plastic and traditional crockery, during in-store or out-sourced washing and drying, outweighed the environmental impact of single-use paper dishes. In this paper, life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used as a tool to quantify the environmental impacts of disposable medical face masks. After the end of their recommended lifetime, reusable LMAs were also placed in municipal solid waste containers. Complete with an ergonomic shaped non-slip rubber handle for great control and maneuverability and easy rinse blades for 100% better rinsing (vs . Razor blades dull quickly after repeated use, and are recommended to be used only three to ten times, making them a cheap alternative to reusable cartridges. 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%). 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. Brimacombe J, Keller C, Morris R, Mecklem D. A comparison of the disposable versus the reusable laryngeal mask airway in paralyzed adult patients. 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. Polystyrene. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Dec. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene. Cited Here. To begin the process of creating the razor blades, tungsten carbide, which is the metal that the blades and other optional components are made of, must first be manufactured. And then there's the water. xTkJ((5:Ome\%{yIlka;K=1 The plastic, however stable for the user, remains stable long after it is thrown away as well. (iii)What are the strategic lifecycle challenges for paramount's current products as well as for clean edge? Marinella Levi. 2019, science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/polystyrene-recycling.htm. The carbon footprint reported was separated into two sections which are direct and indirect emissions. LCA is a standardized, science-based tool for quantifying the impact in order to assess lifetime environmental impact. Each time the steam autoclave machine conducts a sterilizing cycle, a large amount of energy is used to heat the steam. The polypropylene is sorted during recycling using a float test that separates it from other materials based on its ability to float due to its weight, then it is often melted down and reused in other product manufacturing. The use of LCA to introduce life-cycle thinking into decision-making for the purchase of medical devices in the NHS. hbbd``b`z$k@D Differences in environmental impacts between devices may present a compelling consideration in their selection. The product fails to include proper instructions for its waste management, causing it to be disposed of, as the name suggests. For me, I had a few extra bits of plastic that I snapped off because they . The hardest part of this whole process is the data gathering. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Atlanta, 2012. The life of a typical razor blade is not an easy one. Here we present a life cycle assessment of 2 laryngeal mask airways (LMAs), a one-time-use disposable Unique LMA and a 40-time-use reusable Classic LMA. Nash, Nathaniel C. HOW BIC LOST THE EDGE TO GILLETTE. The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Apr. Gillette Plastic Disposable Shaving Kit supermax, for Hotel. With the results we supply the basis for strategic decisions for sustainable action. 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. 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. Kelly, John. Steel Life Cycle.SSAB, www.ssab.com/company/sustainability/sustainable-offering/steel-life-cycle?di=discover21C927E58ECC41198B78D915F7E3E2AF. Most tungsten, about 85%, is extracted from various ores in China (Siddle, How Is Tungsten Carbide Formed?). The total amount of Direct emissions from BIC factories was 8,689 tonnes of carbon dioxide (For You For Everyone Registration Document). Bics direct emissions were from: a combustion of fossil fuels, primarily natural gas and fuel oil, mainly used to heat buildings. Here's How to Keep Your Razors from Contributing to Landfill Waste. USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 7 Aug. 2019, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/07/landfill-waste-how-prevent-disposable-razor-plastic-pollution/1943345001/. Finally, the razors are packaged in cardboard and plastic, and shipped out to stores and markets globally for customers to purchase and use. Polystyrene is a naturally transparent thermoplastic that is available as both a typical solid plastic as well in the form of a rigid foam material (Rodgers, Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS).). a Centers for Disease Control. The biggest impact during the cartridge-based razor life-cycle is manufacturing the cartridge as this is the part which is hardest to make. 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. The stability of the plastic components, while necessary for shelf stability and use, takes longer than one persons life-span to decompose. 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. The majority of eutrophication impacts from disposable LMAs are from deposition of nitrogen oxide particulates from electricity generation and waste incineration, and impacts for the reusable LMA are nearly all from wastewater used in the cleaning process. The study found that: Gillette Razor Local Recycling Solutions.TerraCycle, www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette-local-recycling. Int J Life Cycle Assess 2001;6:7680, 13. Their carbon footprint was reported with the highest offender being air travel for the product, and staff transportation coming from France: accounting for 73% of the companys annual greenhouse gas emissions (Bic). In this section we also need to state the assumptions made during the process: There are three main materials used in the plastic handle and the cartridge of the disposable razor. Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK Ref: ISBN 1844324273, LIT 2080 PDF, 1.83 MB, 203 pages This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.. Once in the landfill, it usually takes around 20-30 years to breakdown. 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. Though technicians are paid regardless of whether they are cleaning LMAs or are performing some other task, these wages are nonetheless assigned to the reusable LMA on the basis of time spent. For both environmental and cost considerations, management and operating procedures should be put in place to ensure that reusable LMAs are not discarded prematurely. The LMAs were first rinsed in tap water, scrubbed externally with a Hibiclens sponge and internally with a small scrub brush, and rinsed again. There is no public data entailing the details of this plastics recyclability. How Does Polystyrene Recycling Work?HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 4 Apr. 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. 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. Contrary to common expectation, hair is actually pretty hard. Wages are then spent on food, entertainment, transport, and other economic activities that themselves have environmental impacts. Disposable and reusable LMAs typically differ in material composition, packaging, reuse, and cost. A combination of transportation methods is used depending on where the product needs to go. Information on PPO plastics are difficult to find, as most of the data is about how it is made, and the chemical makeup and stability of the plastic, rather than information on the decomposition rate or waste used in the making of it. SimaPro 7.3.2. 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. The razors are mainly made of plastic, so they will be decomposing at a very slow rate in the landfill. 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. Overview. Goal, scope and background The industrial packages sector has great importance for the transport sector in Europe. Depending upon on how the razor is packaged, the finished cartridge may or may not be assembled onto the handle of the razor, as some companies choose to package the handle detached the cartridge(s). 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. Soulias M, Martin L, Garnier N, Juniot A, Aho L, Freysz M. Disposable vs reusable laryngeal mask airway: a cost-minimization analysis. CASE STUDY ANALYSIS - CLEAN EDGE, NON DISPOSABLE RAZOR Q1. Some error has occurred while processing your request. 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.