ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces methods to evaluate the environmental impact of conducting a chemical reaction or synthesis plan. The negative effect of chemicals on each of the environmental compartments: air, water, soil, and sediment, when they are released into the environment. Life cycle assessment or analysis is a technique to assess mass flows, energy flows, and environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product’s life from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling. An environmental impact variable or safety-hazard impact variable that is capable of developing into an actual impact. Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance can damage an organism. There are two types of toxicity to consider: acute and chronic. Life cycle inventory involves creating flowcharts that map the mass and energy flows from input materials to all output materials in a process.
