MUSES: Biocomplex Dimensions of Industrial Ecology: Decision Analysis and Sectoral Trade-Offs in the Management of Toxic Metals Used in the Electronics Industry

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This Biocomplexity in the Environment (BE) for: Materials Use: Science, Engineering, and Society (MUSES) project will establish an interdisciplinary framework for discovering practical generalizable concepts in the interface of biocomplexity and industrial ecology by focusing on a case study of the materials cycle of toxic metals such as lead (Pb) used in the electronics industry. The planned activities include preliminary research on alternative metal alloys used in the manufacture of solders, and educational workshops in industrial ecology and biocomplexity to explore the theoretical foundations of synergistic convergence between these concepts. The educational program will facilitate the integration of methods and expertise from faculty and students in materials science, engineering, economics, environmental science, and public health. Lead is widely recognized as one of the most pervasive toxic metals used in manufacturing products that are widely disseminated in the public domain. The use of Pb-solders in the microelectronics industry is undergoing intense scrutiny. There is currently no uniform policy at the state, national or international levels for regulating Pb for this purpose, and there are no specific programs for tracking the fate of Pb after the sale of products. The situation is changing rapidly as international initiatives in the European Union and Japan have emerged to limit public exposure to Pb-containing products. These initiatives threaten current manufacturing practices in the United States, and they may change the balance of international markets for electronics products. The proposed research will develop a framework for decision-making under conditions where multiple datasets in different disciplines intersect to predict toxic metal flows in the electronics industry and the consequent societal impacts.