Umwelteigenschaften von Produkten Die Rolle der Ökobilanz in ISO Typ III Umweltdeklarationen

Goal and Scope

Type III Environmental declarations (Environmental product declarations, EPD) are intended to inform interested parties about the environmental performance characteristics of products. They are based mainly on LCA according to ISO 14040ff, provide its results as inventory or impact category indicators and thus describe the product system under investigation. ISO 14025 is out for ballot as FDIS. The concept of EPD has found a market in particular in the construction sector. It has a considerable part in the European Integrated Product Policy, e.g. documentation of improvement in design for environment, documentation of compliance with green procurement requirements.

Main Features

EPD are a means to communicate the results of a LCA-study according to ISO 14040ff in a comparable and harmonised way. ISO (FDIS) 14025 describes how to develop and document consistent and comparable data sets. This report exemplifies three levels in the development of EPD for which the standard provides requirements. 1. Framework for the development of an EPD program including verification procedures for EPD. 2. Defining the rules for conducting the LCA according to ISO 14040ff as well as additional information for defined product categories (product category rules). 3. Development and documentation of EPD according to the PCR.

Results and Conclusions

After quite a few years of standardisation work the new standard ISO (FDIS) 14025 will provide a systematic approach to documenting and communicating LCA results in an EPD. This will support propagating LCA from its academic origin to a practical tool for the assessment of the environmental performance of a product system. An essential part will be the participation of LCA experts in EPD programs.

Recommendations and Outlook

An enormous effort for developing appropriate conventions will have to be taken by all interested parties to come up with consistent and comparable EPD in different branches. In some areas defining such conventions has been shown to be possible. An important part is the development of quality criteria for modelling as well as for the databases used to calculate the LCA. To find sufficient credibility at economically acceptable conditions with a minimum of bureaucratic effort more practical experience will have to be gained. This holds especially for the trust in the EPD results based on the independence of the review, transparency of procedures and the participation of interested parties. There is a demand on education for SME developing EPD for their products as well as for the users of EPD on how to document EPD transparently and apply them properly.     

Prioritizing organic chemicals for long-term air monitoring by using empirical monitoring data—application to data from the Swedish screening program

This paper illustrates a step-by-step approach for evaluating chemical monitoring data in air and deposition and for prioritizing chemicals to be included in long-term air monitoring programs. The usability of the method is shown by application to data generated within the Swedish screening program. The suggested prioritization approach uses a novel methodology by combining empirical data on occurrence in air and deposition with publicly available quantitative structure activity relationship estimation tools that predict atmospheric persistence and bioaccumulation. A selection tree is presented, which may be used by regulatory bodies to prioritize chemicals for long-term air monitoring. A final ranking list is presented proposing a prioritization order for inclusion in monitoring programs. Based on the suggested strategy, the chemicals identified as most relevant to include in Swedish long-term monitoring programs were short-chain chlorinated paraffins(C10-C13), perfluorooctane sulfonate, octachlorostyrene, hexabromocyclododecane, hexachlorobenzene, pentachloroanisole, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, pentachlorobenzene, 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene, hexachlorobutadiene, dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane, perfluorodecane sulfonate, 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene, and pentabromophenol.     

Rapid one-step assays for on-site monitoring of mouse and rat urinary allergens

Allergy to rodent proteins is common among laboratory animal workers. Sensitive methods to measure exposure to these allergens have been developed. These assays are, however, expensive, time-consuming, and require a laboratory facility and methodological expertise. A simple method to screen for allergen spread, or to test whether hygiene standards are maintained, would be useful. Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) are especially suited for field settings; the tests are simple and results are visible within minutes. LFIAs were developed for detection of the rodent urinary allergens Mus m 1 and Rat n 1. Pilot studies were performed in animal facilities in three countries using both extracts from airborne dust samples and samples collected by wiping surfaces. For comparison and determination of sensitivity, the concentrations of rodent urinary allergens in the samples were also measured using enzyme immunoassays (EIAs). The LFIAs for rat and mouse urinary allergens had a detection limit of 31 pg allergen per mL in a buffer system with purified allergen standards. Results of environmental dust extracts tested in LFIAs correlated well with levels obtained using EIAs. Spread of rodent allergens, or non-adherence to hygiene around laboratory animal facilities, may aggravate rodent allergy. Using a simple, sensitive one-step assay, allergens can be detected to prevent allergen exposure. The results reveal that the rapid assays are suited for on-site demonstration of exposure to rodent allergens, and thus, useful in occupational hygiene practice.     

Integrated environmental assessment methods: Evolution and applications

The central objectives of the European Forum on Integrated Environmental Assessment (EFIEA) include improving the scientific quality of Integrated Environmental Assessments (IEA) as well as strengthening the interactions between science and policy making in environmental matters. This paper is intended to provide a concise assessment of the evolution of IEA methods and present it as a background to current thinking on and practice in IEA. Historical roots of IEA concepts and applications are explored. Common elements and distinctive features in recent proposals to define IEA are sorted and a liberal definition is proposed for the purposes of the present methodological study. This definition emphasizes the interdisciplinary character and environmental policy orientation of IEAs. Changes in the nature, social perception, and management of environmental problems are identified as the major factors driving methodological development in IEAs. A simple scheme is proposed to arrange the main elements of IEA: disciplinary tools, integration tools, and assessment frameworks. The role of IEAs in environmental management is examined by adopting the concept of risk management functions. Due to the varying needs for interdisciplinary research and diverging degrees of policy involvement across those functions, the potential contribution of IEAs to activities belonging to different functions also varies. The flexibility and diversity of IEAs are demonstrated by a sampler of frameworks that have been developed to address profoundly different problems and audiences. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mechanisms enabling sperm economy in blenniid fishes

Sperm competition, cost of spermatogenesis and spawning frequency are known to influence ejaculate expenditure. Accordingly, males, particularly those with high reproductive costs, are expected to have evolved mechanisms enabling them to prudently allocate sperm, such as the fractioning of ejaculate expenditure or the semi-cystic type of spermatogenesis, hypothesised to favour the production of small ejaculates. In this study, we investigate sperm competition risk, ejaculate size and mode of ejaculate release in seven polygynous blenniid fish where males provide sole paternal care of eggs. In addition, we estimated the relative size of the two parts composing the male gonad, the strictly testicular (testicular lobules or testis) and the glandular (testicular gland), as the development of the latter is indicative of the level of semi-cystic spermatogenesis. In all the examined species, eggs were laid one by one, and the sperm expenditure at mating, evaluated as the total number of sperm released per mating, was parcelled out in several successive ejaculations, allowing males to adjust the release of sperm to the duration of egg deposition. In accordance with sperm competition theory, species experiencing higher sperm competition risk allocated more in sperm, both considering ejaculate size and ejaculate expenditure per mating. An increase in sperm expenditure was paralleled by the development of the testis at the expense of the testicular gland. Smaller species, whose males do not face sperm competition risk and fecundity is low, produced smaller ejaculates and exhibited a more developed testicular gland, supporting the hypothesis that a semi-cystic type of spermatogenesis is a mechanism allowing sperm economy.     

A method for mapping fire hazard and risk across multiple scales and its application in fire management

This paper presents modeling methods for mapping fire hazard and fire risk using a research model called FIREHARM (FIRE Hazard and Risk Model) that computes common measures of fire behavior, fire danger, and fire effects to spatially portray fire hazard over space. FIREHARM can compute a measure of risk associated with the distribution of these measures over time using 18 years of gridded DAYMET daily weather data used to simulate fuel moistures to compute fire variables. We detail the background, structure, and application of FIREHARM and then present validation results of six of the FIREHARM output variables that revealed accuracy rates ranging from 20 to 80% correct depending on the quality of input data and the behavior of the fire behavior simulation framework. Overall accuracies appeared acceptable for prioritization analysis and large scale assessments because precision was high. We discuss advantages and disadvantages of the fire hazard and risk approaches and a possible agenda for future development of comprehensive fire hazard and risk mapping is presented.     

Diagnostic yield of exome sequencing in isolated fetal growth restriction: Systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic yield of exome sequencing (ES) above that of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) or karyotyping in fetuses with isolated fetal growth restriction (FGR). This was a systematic review conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Selected studies included those with (a) only fetuses with FGR in the absence of fetal structural anomalies and (b) negative CMA or karyotyping results. Only positive variants classified as likely pathogenic or pathogenic determined as causative of the fetal phenotype were considered. A negative CMA or karyotype result was treated as the reference standard. Eight studies with data on ES diagnostic yield, including 146 fetuses with isolated FGR, were identified. Overall, a pathogenic variant determined as potentially causative of the fetal phenotype was found in 17 cases, resulting in a 12% (95% CI: 7%–18%) incremental performance pool of ES. The vast majority were studied before 32 weeks'gestation. In conclusion, a monogenic disorder was prenatally found in association with apparently isolated FGR in 12% of these fetuses.     

Short-term outcome after the prenatal diagnosis of right aortic arch

Objectives

To determine the proportion of children that require surgery in the first year of life and thereafter in order to improve the counseling of parents with a fetus with a right aortic arch (RAA).

Methods

Fetuses diagnosed with isolated RAA, defined as the absence of intra- or extracardiac anomalies, between 2007 and 2021 were extracted from the prospective registry PRECOR.

Results

In total, 110 fetuses were included, 92 with a prenatal diagnosis of RAA and 18 with double aortic arch (DAA). The prevalence of 22q11 deletion syndrome was 5.5%. Six pregnancies were terminated and five cases were false-positive; therefore, the follow-up consisted of 99 neonates. Surgery was performed in 10 infants (10%) in the first year of life. In total, 25 (25%) children had surgery at a mean age of 17 months. Eight of these 25 (32%) had a DAA. Only one child, with a DAA, required surgery in the first week of life due to obstructive stridor.

Conclusions

Children with a prenatally diagnosed RAA are at a low risk of acute respiratory postnatal problems. Delivery in a hospital with neonatal intensive care and pediatric cardiothoracic facilities seems only indicated in cases with suspected DAA. Expectant parents should be informed that presently 25% of the children need elective surgery and only incidentally due to acute respiratory distress.     

Does the mechanism of sex determination constrain the potential for sex manipulation? A test in geckos with contrasting sex-determining systems

The concentration of yolk steroids was suggested to influence offspring gender in oviparous animals subject to both temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) and genotypic sex determination (GSD). However, the proposed mechanisms of steroid effects are thought to differ between TSD and GSD: a direct effect of oestrogens on gonad feminisation in TSD species vs a differential induction of male-producing or female-producing gametes in GSD species. Geckos offer an ideal opportunity for testing these suggested mechanisms. Closely related gecko species differ in their modes of sex determination. They lay clutches of two synchronously formed eggs; both eggs share equal steroid levels. If identical hormonal composition and environment during vitellogenesis, gravidity and incubation determine the sex of the progeny, siblings should share the same gender in both TSD and GSD geckos. We found strong support for this prediction in a TSD gecko species. Among clutches that were incubated at the temperature that produced both sexes, there were no clutches with siblings of the opposite sex. On the other hand, about half of the clutches yielded siblings of the opposite sex in four GSD species. These results suggest that sex-determining systems constrain the ability of the female to produce single-sex siblings and, hence, it seems that the GSD mechanism constrains the opportunities for sex ratio manipulation in geckos via yolk steroid manipulation.