Filling the gaps in current Life cycle impact assessment framework

我的第二笔发现基金的研究计划旨在解决生命周期影响评估(LCIA)中目前在人类毒性和水使用方面的方法缺陷和已确定的研究空白，方法是(A)开发一个可操作的模型来评估生命周期影响评估中的职业暴露，(B)开发一个可靠的建模框架和操作方法，将淡水的使用与生态系统质量影响指标的潜在影响联系起来。它建立在我之前的探索基金研究计划和其他由补充基金支持的研究活动中发展起来的知识基础上。 通过直接将监测到的职业暴露浓度、每个部门的工作时间和影响因素与潜在的人体健康损害联系起来，首次建立了考虑LCA职业暴露的表征模型。它是通过一家家具公司的案例研究进行评估的，在该公司将进行全面的生命周期评价，包括职业暴露对人类健康的负担。该方法最初是为美国背景开发的，然后将转移到加拿大和法国的背景下，目的是分析除了模型不确定性之外，区域变异性的重要性。该项目的成果将被转移到工作健康和安全领域，以帮助公司提高其超过监管门槛的排放控制能力，并通过制定职业暴露行业基准，帮助公司比较和改进自己的业绩，从而提高其整个价值链的整体风险管理。 首先，在对LCA和水足迹专家国际小组发表的方法和科学共识进行系统分析的基础上，制定了一个将水的使用与对生态系统质量的潜在影响联系起来的强有力的框架。在这些建议的基础上，建立了评估水力发电生产(即水库水调节和管理)对生态系统质量影响的特征模型，量化了水文变量(例如水位、流量、达到满库的时间)对水生物种种群动态的影响。这些发展将在Impact World中实施，并用于评估水力发电的千瓦时。

The research program of my second discovery grant aims at addressing current methodological shortcomings and identified research gaps on human toxicity and water use in Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) by (A) developing an operational model to assess occupational exposure in LCA and (B) developing a robust modeling framework and operational method linking freshwater use to potential impacts on the Ecosystem quality impact indicators. It builds on the knowledge developed from my previous Discovery grant research program and other research activities supported by complementary founding. A characterization model accounting for occupational exposure in LCA is first developed by directly linking monitored occupational exposure concentrations, labor hours in each sector and effect factors to potential human health damages. It is evaluated through a case study form a furniture company, where a full LCA will be performed including human health burdens from occupational exposur. The methodology, originally developed for the US context, will then transposed into to Canadian and French contexts with the aim to analyze the importance of regional variability in addition to model uncertainty. The outcomes of this project will be transposed to the work health & safety domain to assist companies to improve their emission control capacities beyond regulatory threshold and increase their overall risk management across their value chain by developing occupational exposure sectorial benchmarks to which companies would compare and improve their own performances. A robust framework linking water use to potential impacts on ecosystem quality is first developed building on a systematic analysis of published methods and scientific consensus building from an international group of LCA and water footprint experts. Building on these recommendations a characterization model to asses ecosystem quality impacts from hydroelectricity production (i.e. from water regulation and management in reservoirs) is then developed quantifying the effects of hydrological variables (e.g., water levels, discharge, time to reach full pool) on aquatic species population dynamics. These developments will be implemented in IMPACT World+ and used to evaluate the kilowatt-hour of HydroQuébec.