Eckelman, Matthew PhD*; Mosher, Margo; Gonzalez, Andres; Sherman, Jodi MD. 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. 4.Complete the form Pollution of the oceans from plastics has become an increasingly large issue that researchers are still assessing. 85 percent of the energy came from electricity, 14 percent came from gas, and the rest came from fuel oil (For You For Everyone Registration Document). McGain F, McAlister S, McGavin A, Story D. The financial and environmental costs of reusable and single-use plastic anaesthetic drug trays. Life-cycle assessment - Ways of reducing the use of resources - AQA Manufacturer specifications indicate 20 kWh of electricity use for a 5-minute cycle at 135C. The results also suggest effective procurement strategies for reducing the impacts of disposable LMAs where they are selected. What Is Polystyrene? This project is a collaboration between the Great Recovery Programme and Fab Lab London. Sustainability | Free Full-Text | Reducing the Environmental Impact of To start the process of making the blades, tungsten carbide is melted at high temperatures. All of these equipment-related cases occurred before the routine implementation of sterilization procedures currently used in health care facilities. The remaining percentage is split up between energy consumption in their three facilities in: Clichy (France), Shelton (U.S.), and Cajamar (Brazil) (For You For Everyone: Registration Document, Bic). To begin the process of making tungsten carbide, the tungsten must first be extracted. Life cycle assessment of a disposable and a reusable surgery instrument set for spinal fusion surgeries Leiden A, Cerdas F, Noriega D, Beyerlein J, Herrmann C. Life cycle assessment of a disposable and reusable surgery instrument set for spinal fusion surgeries. BIC Comfort 3 Refillable Three-Blade Disposable Razors for Men, Sensitive Skin Razor for a Comfortable Shave, 1 Handle and 12 Cartridges With 3 Blades, 13 Piece Razor Kit. Select patients who are highly infective warrant the choice of disposable devices; however, data do not support selecting disposables for all patients to avoid any possible risk of infection. The carbon footprint reported was separated into two sections which are direct and indirect emissions. Life of a Razor Blade - GreatRazors.com With such a fast accumulating waste and slow decomposition rate, there must be changes and incentive for companies to rethink the disposable razor. Next, the razors will be tested for flaws, strength, and razor hardness and sharpness (Safety Razor, madehow.com). But this is expected from a large brand like Gillette. The metal liquid then goes through a strengthening process called annealing. Life Cycle Approach to Plastic Pollution - Life Cycle Initiative These few simple materials go through processes of heating, cooling, moulding, cutting, and sharpening throughout their manufacturing process to eventually become the handle, razor blades, and blade cartridge, that will then be assembled to become a disposable razor. Contamination problems with reuse of laryngeal mask airways and laryngoscopes. Life Cycle Assessment of Compostable Coffee Pods: A US - Nature BIC has done their best to deal with waste in an environmentally conscious manner. They are resins that maintain a high dimensional stability, which helps create fast and cheap plastic razor handles (Safety Razor). Life Cycle Assessment explained: an introduction to building LCA You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. : Uses, Benefits, and Safety Facts.ChemicalSafetyFacts.org, 17 June 2019, www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/polystyrene/. All of these software packages and models are in widespread use by life cycle assessment practitioners in the US and internationally. Amazon.com: Bulk Disposable Razors Life Cycle Assessment: Biopharma SUTs - BioProcess Contact Supplier. The Eco-Indicator for EPDM rubber includes the manufacturing of the rubber as well as the molding process. They report their waste production being at 340 tons, which represented an increase of 22% from 2015 (Bic). HUO0NpnaJd@"&u[kj-+8=WU\*w)OMYb_ry> 1F3 nyNnb 0 Redesigning the Razor Life Cycle Assessment.The Great Recovery, www.greatrecovery.org.uk/resources/3682/. Paper diapers for infants, which are highly convenient as they do not require laundering like cloth diapers, are essential for daily life in Japan. 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. It is a thermoplastic that exhibits high heat resistance, dimensional stability, and accuracy and is often combined with other plastics, such as polystyrene, due to various problems in its processing (Poly(p-Phenylene Oxide, Wikipedia.org). The LCA is broken into four stages: Defining the goal and scope how much of a product's lifecycle will be addressed, the reasons for carrying out the assessment, the intended audience, and the intended end-use [] Another material used is polystyrene. The life of a typical razor blade is not an easy one. Since BICs products do not go to a single location it is impossible to give an exact number for BICs energy usage in transportation. They have estimated that they expend around 11.77 gigajoules of energy per ton of their products that they produce (For You For Everyone Registration Document) The BIC report also categorized the energy where they obtained the energy. Kaplan, Desire. Composition Assumptions for Disposable and Reusable Largyngeal Mask Airways (LMAs). Polystyrene is not biodegradable and takes hundreds of years to break down. The company urges users to mail packages over 15 lbs., in order to reduce the waste of mail as well, yet is not necessary. 3. Ans: (i) Significant growth in industry of super premium segment . Saudi J Anaesth 2008;2:58. The full life cycle environmental impacts can be challenging to model, because modern production "pathways" can involve numerous interacting technologies, each of which can consume materials and energy that are themselves products of complex production processes. The blades, which are made from a carbide steel made using tungsten carbide, the handle, which is made from a combination of plastics such as polypropylene, polystyrene, and phenylene oxide (PPO), and the cartridge, which is made up of these plastics and sometimes the carbide steel as well (Safety Razor, madehow.com). 11 / Piece. This assessment is exceptionally useful as it shows the designer what areas are the most impactful during the products life cycle. What does a business area's assessment of agreements, income, and value implicate? 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. For You for Everyone Registration Document. A complete life cycle cost analysis would complement the life cycle assessment results shown here; however, a simple analysis reveals that, assuming full utilization, a $200 reusable LMA costs $5 per use, plus $3 per cleaning for a unit cost of $8, excluding utility and hospital overhead costs. Our team of experts has many years of experience in the ecological evaluation of products and services. At an average of 10 reuse cycles, GHG impacts increase by >50%, and this is the break-even point at which the GHG emissions from reusable and disposable LMAs are essentially equal. It is used in razor manufacturing mainly due to its high heat and water resistance, making it ideal for the conditions the product is used in. Sherman JD, Ryan S. Ecological responsibility in anesthesia practice. 5.Interpret and analyse the results. RSA The Bic corporation considers their environmental impact and takes steps to reduce as much waste as possible. Recycling of Polypropylene (PP). AZoCleantech.com, 25 June 2012, www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=240. We can see how the double edge safety razor has a much lower impact due to the low amount of parts and materials used and the fact that the blade can be separated from the rest of the body and recycled (reducing the overall impact of the product). An updated lifecycle assessment for disposable and reusable nappies Report that looks at the effect of disposable and reusable nappies on global warming and other environmental impacts. Manufacturing Processes (RAZOR): KAI FACTORY: KAI Group.KAI FACTORY | KAI Group, www.kai-group.com/global/en/kai-factory/process/razor/. An LCA is an accounting of the inputs and outputs for a product system, beginning with extraction of raw materials from the earth and continuing through all of the steps of transportation, manufacturing, product fabrication, product use, and end-of-life, which may include reuse, recycling . 3. Biro P. Damage to laryngeal masks during sterilization. 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. For example, the designer might think that the manufacturing stage would be the most impactful, when in reality for some products its the raw material extraction or its use phase. Reusable LMAs were collected in a dirty device bin on the anesthesia cart and then reprocessed by the anesthesia technicians. In this life cycle breakdown, I will be discussing what materials go into the making of disposable razors and what processes the materials go through in the operation of making a disposable 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 product has several innovative elements, due to the implementation of eco-design principles, such as: (1) introduction of biopolymers (namely polylactic acid (PLA) and Mater-bi), (2) relevant . Atlanta, 2012. Williams S, Henderson K. A survey into the number of times laryngeal masks are used. Despite its ability to be recycled, it often ends up in the landfill as many people dont know how to properly recycle it, people are too lazy to recycle, or the plastics arent labeled properly (Polypropylene. Wikipedia). In phase 3, we evaluate how significant the impacts are. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) | Sustainable Agriculture Research Because of its high stability, PPO is a very widely used plastic for many different household items. 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. Life cycle assessment comparison among different reuse intensities for Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) Hazard Summary. James Drinkwater - Head of Built Environment - LinkedIn The extraction and consumption of resources (including energy), as well as releases to air, water, and soil, are quantified throughout all stages. This LCA is specific for surgical gowns used in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota. 1982, www.nytimes.com/1982/04/11/business/how-bic-lost-the-edge-to-gillette.html. 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). This manuscript was handled by: Steven L. Shafer, MD. Highly effective in driving partnerships, public policies and projects that accelerate the shift towards a sustainable built environment. Some error has occurred while processing your request. The data collected through LCA helps organizations make conscious decisions that affect the environment. Thomas, G.P. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Metal materials are sent for smelting and conversion to new alloys (Terracycle). : Uses, Benefits, and Safety Facts. ChemicalSafetyFacts.org, 17 June 2019, www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/polystyrene/. Bic USAs 2016 registration document provides information about the waste produced during the manufacturing of the razors. Most tungsten, about 85%, is extracted from various ores in China (Siddle, How Is Tungsten Carbide Formed?). By raising awareness and creating locations where one can drop off used razors for recycling, perhaps a change can come. What Is Tungsten Carbide or Hard Metal? AZoM.com, 2 Aug. 2009, https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4827. 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. Hedrick, Art. 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. The human-health-related impact categories are pertinent to those developing standards for the delivery of health care. The next step is to temper the steel at a temperature of 482-752F (250- 400C) and pressed into thin sheets (Safety Razor, madehow.com). Overcash M. Comparison of reusable and disposable medical textiles. Choosing a less-green disposable will magnify your razor's manufacturing impact, but it won't change the overall picture very much. The life cycle for disposable razors must first be assessed by the products design. 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). From mining and extracting the natural tungsten metal, to making the metal alloy and manufacturing just the blade, waste is released. From the *Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA; School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT; Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine/YaleNew Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT. Funding: Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine. @article{Cordella2015EvolutionOD, title={Evolution of disposable baby diapers in Europe: life cycle assessment of environmental impacts and identification of key areas of improvement}, author={Mauro Cordella and Iris Bauer and Anja Lehmann and Matthias Schulz and Oliver Wolf}, journal={Journal of Cleaner Production}, year={2015}, volume={95 . From:. Once Terracycle has collected the waste, it is: broken down and separated by material. Anesth Analg 1993;77:1079, 21. Phenylene oxide, or PPO, is another common plastic material used in disposable razors. The Potential of Polypropylene.Recycling Today, Recycling Today, 17 July 2019, www.recyclingtoday.com/article/the-recycling-potential-of-polypropylene/. Siddle, Dave. For me, I had a few extra bits of plastic that I snapped off because they . Certain practices would further reduce the environmental impacts of reusable LMAs, such as increasing the number of devices autoclaved in a single cycle to 10 (25% GHG emissions) and improving the energy efficiency of the autoclaving machines by 10% (8% GHG emissions). Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method used to estimate the total environmental impacts from producing a good or service. The powder is then shaped, usually by the process of die stamping. 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. The Great Recovery was a project by the RSA working with Innovate UK which ran between 2012 and 2016. GaBi includes its own database containing life cycle inventories of processes such as polypropylene manufacturing, transportation, and landfill . SimaPro is our flagship product: life cycle assessment software that gives sustainability experts, product designers and decision-makers the power to gain insight into the environmental performance of products and services, to define hotspots and to drive positive change. 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. Overview. LCA can be used to compare alternative products, processes or services; compare alternative life cycles for a certain product . And then there's the water. A Comparison Life Cycle Assessment between Razor Blade and Electric Shaver. Dec. 2012. Once all the components of the razor have been made, the components go to various stations where different tasks will be performed. Tungsten is a natural metal deposit that is found in metamorphic, and granitic igneous rocks, primarily in China, Russia, South Korea, South America, and the Rocky Mountains in the United States. LCA for product sustainability. Amersfoort, The Netherlands: Product Ecology (PR) Consultants, 2011, 11. However, because of the new awareness to their wasteful impact on the environment, some companies have begun to provide solutions to the disposable razor issue. 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).). Life Cycle Assessment - Sustainability Guide 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. During a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), environmental impacts are evaluated throughout the entire life cycle of a product (production, use and disposal or recovery).This also includes the upstream and downstream processes associated with production (e.g., the production of . LCA is the most common tool for quantifying the environmental effects associated with a product, process, or service's entire life (Baumann and Tillman 2004).LCA was performed in accordance with the international standards of the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 . to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Here, Great Recovery Intern Sebastian de Cabo Portugal discusses Life Cycle Assessments. The carbon alloy allows for the metal to be strong enough to be exposed to high levels of moisture without corroding, yet brittle enough to be made into thin blades for a multiple blade razor (Safety Razor). Bic Disposable Razor (1975). Plastics News Europe, 19 Nov. 2009, www.plasticsnewseurope.com/article/20091119/PNE/311199986/bic-disposable-razor-1975. It has a low density and is quite flexible and heat resistant, therefore making it an easily moulded and extruded material. 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. This reflects the equivalence between 40 disposable LMAs and their associated materials, waste, and 40 uses of 1 reusable LMA. may email you for journal alerts and information, but is committed Life cycle assessment Plastics Europe Julabo Gmbh, et al. 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). a 4.1% (Bic). 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. To make the handle and cartridges, these various plastics are heated together and melted together along with optional colorants and various filler materials. Gillette Razor Local Recycling Solutions.TerraCycle, www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette-local-recycling. Can J Anaesth 2001;48:40912, 22. (PDF) A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable - academia.edu Impact Assessment. Cargo planes and other transport aircraft use jet fuel which produces 135,000 BTU per gallon (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). So, while this solution is not an easy fix, as it would require buyers to save their own waste, it does provide an alternative to the disposable razor waste crisis. Policy H-135.945: Encouraging Alternatives to PVC/DEHP Products in Health. Life Cycle Assessment | EcoAct The differences in environmental impacts between these devices strongly favor reusable devices. The mixed plastics used in most of the razor take hundreds of years to break down in landfill, and the blades, while the metal is recyclable if separated from the rest of the product, poses a safety hazard for both the consumer and the employees who handle recyclables. 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.). BIC is voicing their concern about the environmental impact that their large production goals can have. A Life Cycle Assessment is the systematic analysis of the environmental impact of products during their entire life cycle. Put the blades in the steel recycling section. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000 rev, 25. By far, the biggest impact during the manufacturing of the razors was the 17 spot welds done in each cartridge. Poly(Phenylene Oxide). The Polymer Science Learning Center, www.pslc.ws/macrog/ppo.htm. 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.. Each time the steam autoclave machine conducts a sterilizing cycle, a large amount of energy is used to heat the steam. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a process of evaluating the effects that a product has on the environment over the entire period of its life thereby increasing resource-use efficiency and decreasing liabilities. Lv, Andrea Lind, and Tigist Fetene. Anesthesia & Analgesia114(5):1067-1072, May 2012. 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. 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. In their study of Life cycle assessment of wastewater treatment technologies treating petroleum process waters, Vlaopolous et al. Wages are then spent on food, entertainment, transport, and other economic activities that themselves have environmental impacts. The blades are then carefully sharpened to create the razor blades. Disposable and reusable nappies in the UK: life cycle assessment Sensitivity and simple life cycle cost analyses were conducted to aid in interpretation of the results. However, given the environmental toll to such a fast accumulating, and non-biodegradable product, waste management must be more considered by both the manufacturers and the buyers. Comparative life cycle assessment of disposable and reusable - PubMed Weissman, Alexander, et al. Goal, scope and background The industrial packages sector has great importance for the transport sector in Europe. The metal that can be used in the cartridge is also cut out during this stage. These results will then be used to inform the design process and improve the redesigned razor. Land transport like trains and trucks use diesel as fuel and that produced 138,700 BTU (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). Polypropylene. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polypropylene. 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). Conducting a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): from Theory to Practical Ecoinvent 2.2. This is the fourth installment in a series of blogs in which weexplore how to design a product for circularity. 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. Each manufacturing plant or node in the supply chain is referred to as agate-to-gate (GTG) life cycle inventory. The processes that contribute to these emissions differ markedly between the 2 LMA devices. This is where most of the complexity of an LCA is involved. A Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable Razors. Environmental LCA - Life Cycle Initiative 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. Disposable Razors at Best Price in India - IndiaMART BIC Group, 2016, Sustainable Development Report. 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. disposable paper diaper; material recycling; closed-loop recycling; life cycle assessment (LCA) 1. Comparison of disposable and reusable laryngeal mask airways in spontaneously ventilating adult patients. 0 8tZ Anesth Analg 2012;114:105566, 8. The use of LCA to introduce life-cycle thinking into decision-making for the purchase of medical devices in the NHS. However, of the 2 billion razors disposed of annually, about 32% end up in the ocean (Kaplan). Wat LI, Brimacombe JR, Gee S. Laryngeal mask airway longevity and pilot-balloon failure. 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. 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.
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