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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). We are proud that it is among the leading professional LCA software . 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). I found information about the whole blade manufacturing process, but could not find details about energy consumption in every step of the process. The hardest part of this whole process is the data gathering. They have teamed up with Gillette to raise awareness about the massive waste of disposable razors by allowing users to mail their old razors in to be recycled. 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. Because of its high stability, PPO is a very widely used plastic for many different household items. Disposable and reusable LMAs typically differ in material composition, packaging, reuse, and cost. 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. LCA's are completed particularly in relation to how to develop a sustainable world where less waste and more reuse is implemented. Goodman EJ, Haas AJ. 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. 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. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Solid Waste Management Consultants The blades do eventually dissipate within the landfill, yet, it is not cost-free, as the tungsten waste can be ultimately harmful to the environment. 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. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 2009;53:6878, 19. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They report their waste production being at 340 tons, which represented an increase of 22% from 2015 (Bic). Contamination problems with reuse of laryngeal mask airways and laryngoscopes. to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without Wat LI, Brimacombe JR, Gee S. Laryngeal mask airway longevity and pilot-balloon failure. Complete with an ergonomic shaped non-slip rubber handle for great control and maneuverability and easy rinse blades for 100% better rinsing (vs . The alloy is strong enough to resist moisture for a short time in the buyers shower, yet, in the landfill, it does eventually rust and decompose. Tungsten Carbide. Encyclopdia Britannica, Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., 17 Dec. 2018, www.britannica.com/science/tungsten-carbide. Life Cycle Assessment and Costing Methods for Device - PubMed James Drinkwater - Head of Built Environment - LinkedIn Life Cycle Assessment of the Closed-Loop Recycling of Used Disposable 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. 2019, science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/polystyrene-recycling.htm. Ison E, Miller A. 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. In order to carry out the Eco-Indicator analysis method, the methodology described below has to be followed: 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. 5.Interpret and analyse the results. In this case its the life-cycle of the cartridge-based razor. Steel Life Cycle.SSAB, www.ssab.com/company/sustainability/sustainable-offering/steel-life-cycle?di=discover21C927E58ECC41198B78D915F7E3E2AF. This is where most of the complexity of an LCA is involved. endstream endobj startxref Life cycle assessment of a disposable and a reusable surgery instrument Accessed 28 Nov. 2019. www.thefabricator.com/thefabricator/article/stamping/die-basics-101-intro-to-stamping, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/07/landfill-waste-how-prevent-disposable-razor-plastic-pollution/1943345001/, http://www.greatrecovery.org.uk/resources/3682/, www.plasticsnewseurope.com/article/20091119/PNE/311199986/bic-disposable-razor-1975, www.nytimes.com/1982/04/11/business/how-bic-lost-the-edge-to-gillette.html, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemical-engineering/polyphenylene-oxides, www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-03/documents/ffrrofactsheet_contaminant_tungsten_january2014_final.pdf, www.kai-group.com/global/en/kai-factory/process/razor/, www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/reducing-trichloroethylene-tce-waste-fabricated-metals-sector, www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html, www.recyclingtoday.com/article/the-recycling-potential-of-polypropylene/, www.ssab.com/company/sustainability/sustainable-offering/steel-life-cycle?di=discover21C927E58ECC41198B78D915F7E3E2AF, BEHR Oil Based Interior/Exterior Primer and Sealer, California Academy of Sciences Living Roof Life Cycle, UC Davis Social Sciences and Humanities Building, A-Z List for Digital & Electronics Topics. The tracking can come from sales, and in 2018 more than $1.2 billion in disposable razors were sold in the U.S., with varying prices but many disposables costing less than $1 each (Olsen). Terracycle. Life Cycle Assessment of a Building | Sphera Each manufacturing plant or node in the supply chain is referred to as agate-to-gate (GTG) life cycle inventory. Disposable razors are a product that can be found in almost any average bathroom. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Packaging for the Distribution of Italian Fruit and Vegetables. The authors declare no conflict of interest. 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). WC2N 6EZ, Redesigning the razor Life Cycle Assessment. 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. DEHP is a plasticizer routinely added to impart flexibility to PVC-based products, such as IV bags, tubing, and endotracheal tubes. 2006 have considered a process water flow of 10,000 m3/day for a time period of 15 years (system design life) as the function unit used in order to compare the different wastewater treatment processes . 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. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable - LWW After that the blades go through a blade edging process, which consists of the blade strips first being coarsely ground by whetstone, second being ground at an angle with a finer whetstone, and then having the tip of the blades ground (Manufacturing Processes). 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. Brimacombe J, Keller C, Morris R, Mecklem D. A comparison of the disposable versus the reusable laryngeal mask airway in paralyzed adult patients. Alternate assumptions were used to test model sensitivity and to create bounds to aid interpretation of the results (Table 2). Comparison of disposable and reusable laryngeal mask airways in spontaneously ventilating adult patients. BIC has repeatedly come under fire because of the environmental impact their disposable razors have, due to the sheer amount of their disposable products are used every year. 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. Yet, as they are designed to be thrown away after use, a question is raised of their fast accumulating waste and its impact on the environment. After the products are packaged, there has to be a way for them to get to the end consumer. What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)? - Sphera Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation. Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation | Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, www.bts.gov/content/energy-consumption-mode-transportation. 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. 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. Eckelman, Matthew PhD*; Mosher, Margo; Gonzalez, Andres; Sherman, Jodi MD. The Bic Razor, Still the Sharpest of the Bunch. Plastics Le Mag, 31 Jan. 2017, plastics-themag.com/The-Bic-razor-still-the-sharpest-of-the-bunch. . Data Uncertainty. Disposable Blood Warmer Market 2023-2030 Future Forecasts 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/. Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. xTkJ((5:Ome\%{yIlka;K=1 GaBi includes its own database containing life cycle inventories of processes such as polypropylene manufacturing, transportation, and landfill . 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. Safety Razor.How Products Are Made, www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html. By far, the biggest impact during the manufacturing of the razors was the 17 spot welds done in each cartridge. The EPA has now stopped tracking the: impact of disposable razors on the environment and has no update on the figure (Olsen). Using Life Cycle Assessments to Understand Cloth vs. Disposables - BAHP All of these software packages and models are in widespread use by life cycle assessment practitioners in the US and internationally. Questions and Answers: CreutzfeldtJakob Disease Infection-Control Practices. 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. BIC states that it prides itself on producing affordable, safe, and quality razors for its customers worldwide. The study found that: The studies have not found it to be harmful to drinking water, or public safety, however, it is an ongoing research of soil data that continues. This break-even point will change depending on the category of environmental impact being considered. Julabo Gmbh, et al. Cited Here. After the reusable LMA was washed and dried, it was then placed into a heat seal pouch, made of polypropylene film and paper. The razors are mainly made of plastic, so they will be decomposing at a very slow rate in the landfill. SimaPro 7.3.2. 3. These included alternative routes and modes of transport from San Diego to New Haven, changes in autoclave loading practices and efficiency, and varied amounts of PVC in the disposable LMA. 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. The buyer online is not exposed to the long lasting waste of the razors after they are thrown out. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. The newest effort to recycle disposable razors is being done in France by BIC, but the company has said that they do not plan on unveiling a recycling program anywhere else yet (Powers). Where regulations permit, disposal of LMA-related waste as regular municipal waste, as opposed to biohazardous waste, should also reduce the adverse health effects stemming from medical waste incineration. What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)? | iPoint-systems At every point during planning, production, and even marketing, the quantity of consumption should be analyzed to adjust business models accordingly. Contribution: This author helped conduct the study and analyze the data. Disposable LMAs are made largely from PVC plastic, which is associated with a number of health concerns that are gaining increased attention.23 Historic efforts to minimize routine medical incineration resulted in the 1998 Memorandum of Understanding between the American Hospital Association and the US Environmental Protection Agency, largely on the basis of recognition of the potential carcinogenic effects of burning PVC plastics. The Bic USAs company website provides information about the making of the razors in the factories, regarding their inspection and factory standards, yet there is no mention for the environmental impact of the disposal. use/disposable and multiple-use/washable surgical gowns. Address correspondence to Jodi Sherman, MD, Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, 333 Cedar Street, TMP3, New Haven, CT 06520. This is known as a Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) This can be extremely complex because it can involve dozens of separate processes, as well as hundreds of tracked substances. 1982, www.nytimes.com/1982/04/11/business/how-bic-lost-the-edge-to-gillette.html. 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. You Asked, We Answered. Chronicle, 12 June 2015, chronicle.kennametal.com/what-is-tungsten-carbide-you-asked-we-answered/. 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 backbone of LCA is the life cycle inventory (LCI), an analysis of material and energy ows resulting from all phases of the product life cycle. 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. Properly Recycle Your Disposable Razors | Leafygreen.info 3 Ways to Recycle Safety Razor Blades - wikiHow Life Sustainable Development Report. 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. 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. 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. It is used to assist companies, consumers, and policy-makers in greening their practices and decisions. To make the handle and cartridges, these various plastics are heated together and melted together along with optional colorants and various filler materials. Paper diapers for infants, which are highly convenient as they do not require laundering like cloth diapers, are essential for daily life in Japan. Conversely, impacts can be reduced by autoclaving more LMAs at once or with other equipment with similar decontamination requirements. What Is Tungsten Carbide?" This was a cradle-to-grave study that included inputs and outputs for the manufacture, transport, use, and waste phases of the LMAs. Using BEES to select cost-effective green products. Manufacturer specifications indicate 20 kWh of electricity use for a 5-minute cycle at 135C. 3. Sets Strategy to End 'Staggering' Garbage Crisis.The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 1988, www.nytimes.com/1988/09/23/us/epa-sets-strategy-to-end-staggering-garbage-crisis.html. Life Cycle Assessment - definition & methodology. With such a fast accumulating waste and slow decomposition rate, there must be changes and incentive for companies to rethink the disposable razor. LCA is a standardized, science-based tool for quantifying the impact in order to assess lifetime environmental impact. They have also reduced shipping time, by only sending the blades from Greece to Mexico to optimize the tools and products available in each location, instead of having all the materials shipped to each factory. Swiss Center for Life Cycle Inventories. 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).). In this paper, many details about the life cycle stages were not included.