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. Individually autoclaving the reusable LMA (because of stock shortages, for example) increased life cycle GHG emissions by >400%, whereas loading with 10 LMAs per cycle decreased emissions by nearly 25%. Redesigning the Razor Life Cycle Assessment.The Great Recovery, www.greatrecovery.org.uk/resources/3682/. An LCA is a life cycle assessment which is completed through research, testing and understanding of the environmental impacts a particular item creates through it's resources use/ production/distribution/disposal. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Sinha R, Sunder R. Retiring reusable laryngeal mask airways after 40: an anaesthetist's dilemma. A new incentive must come for companies to be more sustainable with resources and create products that can still be cheap for the buyer, while also not taking a high cost on the environment. Not all form of impacts are valued the same, so the ones with the largest impact should be tackled first in order to produce the maximum overall improvement. 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. 1.Establish the purpose of the Eco-Indicator calculations However, we can discuss the energy usage of different modes of transportation. Highlights 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). The results also suggest effective procurement strategies for reducing the impacts of disposable LMAs where they are selected. It has been assumed that the packaging contains cardboard, even though it has been made from other natural fibres like bamboo, as there is no info on those materials in the Eco-Indicator tables. In conclusion, disposable razors are being used and thrown away at a rate that is unsustainable for the finite space on the planet. 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. 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. Eckelman, Matthew PhD*; Mosher, Margo; Gonzalez, Andres; Sherman, Jodi MD. Address e-mail to [emailprotected]. xTkJ((5:Ome\%{yIlka;K=1 All of which provides an easy user experience, but, takes a toll on the planet. The Potential of Polypropylene.Recycling Today, Recycling Today, 17 July 2019, www.recyclingtoday.com/article/the-recycling-potential-of-polypropylene/. . On the basis of such criteria, single-use disposable medical devices are increasingly supplanting reusable devices in the United States (US) and elsewhere.1 Although purchase and maintenance costs for disposable devices are perceived to be less than for reusables, this fails to account for indirect costs to society from the environmental impacts attributable to the entire life cycle of a device. Marvel Product Razor Lady Body Shaver Disposable Razore. LeBlanc, Rick. 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. However, it is fairly easy to find what the disposable razors components are made of, due to its simplicity. An exact number for the energy use for BIC was not obtained. The life cycle for disposable razors must first be assessed by the products design. The original LMA was a reusable device (Intavent International SA, Henley-on-Thames, UK). to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without climate change, summer smog, resource depletion, acidification, human health effects, etc. Disposable razors are designed for consumers that prefer minimum spending . 3.Quantify the materials and processes %PDF-1.5 % 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. (iii)What are the strategic lifecycle challenges for paramount's current products as well as for clean edge? Overcash M. Comparison of reusable and disposable medical textiles. There are three main components in a disposable razor. Bics direct emissions were from: a combustion of fossil fuels, primarily natural gas and fuel oil, mainly used to heat buildings. Previous studies have examined the relative environmental profiles of reusables and disposables with regard to medical textiles7 and anesthetic drug trays.8 The present study uses life cycle assessment to evaluate the life cycle impacts of disposable and reusable LMAs across several categories of environmental and human health impacts. These benefits must be weighed against concerns regarding transmission of infection. There are only two components for the BIC disposable razors which are the plastic body and razor blade. Saudi J Anaesth 2008;2:58. During shaving, the sharp edges of the blade will chip off at a slow but steady rate, dulling the blade after repeated shavings. 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. 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. The fewer LMAs placed in the autoclave, the larger the impacts on GHG emissions and global warming on each individual unit. But what really goes into making one of these seemingly mundane disposable razors and what happens to it after its tossed in the trash? This LCA is specific for surgical gowns used in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota. An estimated 1 L of tap water was used to wash and rinse 1 LMA (or 40 L over a lifetime of 40 uses). Pollution of the oceans from plastics has become an increasingly large issue that researchers are still assessing. LCA can be used to compare alternative products, processes or services; compare alternative life cycles for a certain product . 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 designed short user-time of disposable razors, causes their life cycle to be spent mostly in the landfill where they will remain for hundreds of years due to non-biodegradable plastic, however, recycling the plastic and steel is possible if sent to specific recycling facilities, which could reduce the life cycle and negative impact on the environment. Anesthesiology 2003;99:1066, 6. Sustainable Development Report. Each time the steam autoclave machine conducts a sterilizing cycle, a large amount of energy is used to heat the steam. 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. LCA is a standardized, science-based tool for quantifying the impact in order to assess lifetime environmental impact. If all 2.6 billion of those razors each weight 8.8 grams, then the total amount of waste produced would be around 25,220 tonnes. 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. 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. Now that we understand the key challenges with the razors, and where the biggest impacts are occurring, we can begin to make informed decisions in the redesign. 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.. In this paper, life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used as a tool to quantify the environmental impacts of disposable medical face masks. It is resistant to fats and almost all organic solvents which helps it hold up in the damp and warm conditions of a bathroom and shower (Polypropylene. Wikipedia.org). CASE STUDY ANALYSIS - CLEAN EDGE, NON DISPOSABLE RAZOR Q1. One of the materials used is polypropylene, a thermoplastic addition polymer made from the combination of propylene monomers (Creative Mechanisms Staff, creativemechanisms.com). 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. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool for analyzing the environmental impacts and resources used throughout a product's life, from raw materials extraction to production, and extending through product use and disposal. There is also an additional resin called fluorine resin that is applied to the blades, which allows them to freely glide on the skin. They are resins that maintain a high dimensional stability, which helps create fast and cheap plastic razor handles (Safety Razor). Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a modeling tool for quantifying the environmental impacts of products and processes. 4. The scope of our analysis, as is shown in Figure 1, includes extraction of material and energy resources, manufacturing, packaging and transport from the manufacturing site to the distribution center and the hospital, reprocessing, and eventual disposal. BIC reported that every year around 2.6 billion of their razors are chosen by consumers every year (Shaver's). 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. Goal, scope and background The industrial packages sector has great importance for the transport sector in Europe. 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). How Is Tungsten Carbide Formed? Chronicle, 20 Aug. 2015, chronicle.kennametal.com/how-is-tungsten-carbide-formed/. The majority of life cycle human health impacts of disposable LMAs are caused by PVC use in packaging and the device itself. EPA. A major flaw in the disposable razors design is in fact its inability to be sustainably and properly disposed, despite what its name suggests. Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. These are the reasons why I will carry out an Eco-Indicator Assessment instead of a full LCA. Environment Agency (Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the U.K.) investigated the impact of three diapering systems: cloth diapers with home wash, cloth diapers with commercial laundry, and disposable diapers. PPO elements of the disposable razor are hard to determine in years, however, data shows that most plastic items take up to 1,000 years to begin to decompose (LeBlanc). The most important sources of impacts for the disposable LMA were the production of polymers, packaging, and waste management, whereas for the reusable LMA, washing and sterilization dominated for most impact categories. Such an analysis is commonly performed using life cycle assessment. The disposable LMA consisted largely of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, and the reusable LMA consisted primarily of silicone. Poly(Phenylene Oxide). The Polymer Science Learning Center, www.pslc.ws/macrog/ppo.htm. Our team of experts has many years of experience in the ecological evaluation of products and services. 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. J Clin Anesth 1997;9:432, 20. To begin the process of making tungsten carbide, the tungsten must first be extracted. Die Basics 101: Intro to Stamping. The Fabricators, 18 July 2018, www.thefabricator.com/thefabricator/article/stamping/die-basics-101-intro-to-stamping. The advantage of using this method compared to a more comprehensive LCA method is that its much simpler to carry out and to gather the required information because the data regarding the most common materials and processes has been collected in advance. 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. Criteria air pollutants arise for the disposable LMA primarily from the production of ethylene (a polymer precursor) and the combustion of natural gas throughout the system, and for the reusable LMA from the combustion of fossil fuels to produce steam and electricity. 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. Most of those razors just end up in a landfill because most countries are not recycling them. Olsen, Alexandra. 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/. Gillette Razor Local Recycling Solutions.TerraCycle, www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette-local-recycling. The unit cost of disposable LMAs is 20% higher at approximately $9.60 per unit. Cargo planes and other transport aircraft use jet fuel which produces 135,000 BTU per gallon (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Inc., 26 Sept. 2012, www.britannica.com/technology/tungsten-processing#ref82029. The buyer online is not exposed to the long lasting waste of the razors after they are thrown out. Sherman JD, Ryan S. Ecological responsibility in anesthesia practice. Bic did have an increase in non-hazardous waste due to: expansion work or renovation of buildings or development of new products and manufacturing equipment (For You For Everyone: Registration Document, Bic) For carbon footprint assessments for large companies, they are assessed on direct (scope 1) emissions and indirect (scope 2) emissions of greenhouse gases. The company reported that with their hazardous waste in 2016 11 percent was recycled, 49 percent incinerated with energy recovery, 8 percent sent to land disposal, and 32 percent was sent off to be treated in another way (For You for Everyone Registration Document). Anesthesia & Analgesia114(5):1067-1072, May 2012. 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. 45. your express consent. The life of a typical razor blade is not an easy one. Despite manufacturer-recommended cleaning processes, and various modifications thereof, proteinaceous material may remain on reusable LMAs.27 Of particular concern, these residues may expose patients to prions causing transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, CreutzfeldtJakob disease. 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. Here, Great Recovery Intern Sebastian de Cabo Portugal discusses Life Cycle Assessments. Polystyrene is not biodegradable and takes hundreds of years to break down. Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment of Disposable Bioreactors - BioProcess InternationalBioProcess International Upstream Processing Bioprocessing begins upstream, most often with culturing of animal or microbial cells in a range of vessel types (such as bags or stirred tanks) using different controlled feeding, aerating, and process strategies. Siddle, Dave. Rogers, Tony. Anaesthesia 2000;55:7001, 18. 2019, science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/polystyrene-recycling.htm. Anaesth Intensive Care 2004;32:5304, 4. Subramaniar Trading Company. Case Studies. Case Studies : Reducing BIC's Rejection Rates | KEYENCE America, www.keyence.com/solutions/case-studies/bic.jsp. SimaPro 7.3.2. 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. Int J Life Cycle Assess 2001;6:7680, 13. During production, two components have to be created which are the blade and the plastic body. The data collected through LCA helps organizations make conscious decisions that affect the environment. What does a business area's assessment of agreements, income, and value implicate? Tungsten has a high melting point and is used mainly for strong tools unless used for smaller applications when combined with a carbon alloy: Its alloys are employed in rocket-engine nozzles and other aerospace applications (Safety Razors). hb```X ea i:=3*?a_.k7#uq-u[JRP erle@@)`EkP;~ cdC58xiv06@Jup E Anesth Analg 1998;87:921, 3. Research about tungsten is ongoing and includes health effects and risks, degradation processes and an inventory of its use in the defense industry as a substitute for lead-based munitions (EPA). All that is needed is the insertion of the razor blade into the plastic body. LMA Classic Product Specifications, 2011, 10. Paper diapers for infants, which are highly convenient as they do not require laundering like cloth diapers, are essential for daily life in Japan. Polycarbonate production (14%), transportation via truck (15%), thermoforming (13%), and waste disposal (11%) cause the majority of the remaining emissions. There are three main materials used in the plastic handle and the cartridge of the disposable razor. Park Ridge, IL: American Society of Anesthesiologists, 1999, 15. 15 - 21 Our group recently performed a life cycle assessment of anesthetic drug trays, finding that reusable trays were both environmentally and . Despite the overall lower impacts of the reusable LMA, there are still several ways that its environmental profile could be improved, as suggested by the results shown in Table 2. For You for Everyone Registration Document. Tungsten carbide is a carbide compound, made up of equal parts of tungsten and carbon. BIC currently holds around 11 percent market share in disposable razors (Nash). The metal used for the razor blades is called Tungsten Carbide which is used in wear applications, such as shaving (Safety Razor). 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. : Uses, Benefits, and Safety Facts, ChemicalSafetyFacts.org,). All of these equipment-related cases occurred before the routine implementation of sterilization procedures currently used in health care facilities. The stability of the plastic components, while necessary for shelf stability and use, takes longer than one persons life-span to decompose. The sheets are then cut out using a process called die stamping, using a tool called a die stamp which is a special, one-of-a-kind precision tool that cuts and forms sheet metal into a desired shape or profile, where the blades are die stamped at a rate of 800-1,200 strokes a minute into the desired shape and size (Hedrick, Die Basics 101: Intro to Stamping.). Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2010. Eshwar Shop. After the products are packaged, there has to be a way for them to get to the end consumer. The blades and lubricating strip were too light to be measured with our equipment so their weights were rounded to 1g. Please try after some time. "Tungsten Processing." 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. Data is temporarily unavailable. The LMAs were first rinsed in tap water, scrubbed externally with a Hibiclens sponge and internally with a small scrub brush, and rinsed again. What Is Polystyrene? Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a widely-used technique to comprehensively assess the impacts of a product or a process on the environment and acts as an effective tool in gauging the. 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. Anesth Analg 1993;77:1079, 21. Packaging is an . 769 0 obj <>stream 3.7.Product Life Cycle Analysis . associated with the environmental interventions attributable to the life-cycle of a product. Applying this method of assessment is complex and difficult and translating the theory into a . 21 offers from $5.20. Reprints will not be available from the authors. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Once in the landfill, it usually takes around 20-30 years to breakdown. GaBi includes its own database containing life cycle inventories of processes such as polypropylene manufacturing, transportation, and landfill . All of these software packages and models are in widespread use by life cycle assessment practitioners in the US and internationally. The purpose of this assessment is to compare two different types of razors: cartridge based vs. double edge safety razor. The plastic and steel elements of the razor can be recycled, yet, because they are so lightweight and small it makes it hard to separate in the trash and unable to be recycled normally. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. 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. 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. 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). However, the viability of the disposable razor is always thrown into question because of the sheer amount of resources that it expends. These results will then be used to inform the design process and improve the redesigned razor. The 2 LMA options are nearly equivalent in terms of eutrophication impacts, but with different contributions. 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). 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. Phenylene oxide, or PPO, is another common plastic material used in disposable razors. The Eco-Indicator method is a tool developed to help designers conduct a simplified LCA study. The number of times an LMA is reused is a particularly uncertain assumption, because there have been reports of premature disposal.16 Use in excess of the manufacturer recommended 40 times has also been reported,17 and 100 to 200 uses appears to be possible with proper handling and preuse checks.1821 Here, 10, 20, 30, 60, 80, and 100 cycles are considered as alternative assumptions. Approximately 24 L/min of water are used by the autoclave for cooling, for a total of 960 L of water needed to sterilize an LMA 40 times. 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. 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. may email you for journal alerts and information, but is committed And then there's the water. Once extracted, the tungsten is then shipped to a desired location for it to be manufactured into the metal compound. The differences in environmental impacts between these devices strongly favor reusable devices. What IS Life Cycle Assessment? Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS). Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS), 5 Nov. 2015, https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/polystyrene-ps-plastic. The metal is heated to a temperature of 1967-2048 degrees Fahrenheit and tungsten carbide has a specific heat of 0.226 BTU/lb/Fahrenheit (Safety razor). 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. Premature disposal of reusable LMAs has significant environmental impacts (as well as costs, discussed below). 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. disposable paper diaper; material recycling; closed-loop recycling; life cycle assessment (LCA) 1. Terracycle. 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). Policy H-135.945: Encouraging Alternatives to PVC/DEHP Products in Health. This short course will give you an introduction to life cycle assessment (LCA) methods and how to apply them in real-life situations.. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a rapidly evolving tool used to determine impacts of products or systems over a range of environmental and resource issues. 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/.