Regional Parameters for Human Health Impact Assessment

The research paper is aimed to modify the human health impact assessment of Cr in soils. The current article presents the input of several critical parameters for the human health Impact Score (IShum) assessment in soils. The modification of the IShum is derived using geological data (results of neutron activation analysis of soils are used in the IShum calculation; research area is divided using the watersheds) and population size and density. Watersheds reflect the local environmental conditions of the territory unlike the administrative units due to their geological independence. The calculations of the Characterization factor value underestimate the influence of the population size and density on the final result. Default regional values cannot be considered during the assessment of the potential human health impact for the big sparsely inhabited areas. In case of very low population density the result will be overrated and underestimated in the opposite case. The current approach demonstrates the generosity of the geographical separation in the USEtox model. The same approach can be utilized for other geo zones due to the accessibility of this information (area size, population size and density, geological and landscape features).

Life Cycle Air Emissions and Social Human Health Impact Assessment of Liquified Natural Gas Maritime Transport

Air pollution, which causes over seven million deaths per year, is the most significant and specifically related to health impacts. Nearly 90% of the urban population worldwide is exposed to pollution not meeting the World Health Organization guidelines for air quality. Many atmospheric carbon oxides, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter emitting sources, such as inefficient energy and polluting transportation, directly impact health. Natural gas maritime transport from various parts of the world (carbon supplied to consuming areas) has become more critical. Natural gas liquefaction offers a cleaner and more efficient transportation option and also increases its storage capacity. It is expected that natural gas will reduce the human health impact compared with other traditional fuels consumed. This research establishes a life cycle assessment model of air emission and social human health impact related to LNG maritime transport to investigate the impact of each type of fuel used for the numerous maritime carriers. In order to build a model for air emissions and social human health impact assessments based on hypotheses on various unknown criteria, a calculation model is used. The results revealed Conventional-2 fuel type has the lowest human health impact for annual mode calculations, followed by Conventional-1, Q-Max, and finally Q-Flex. The analysis method for the per year demonstrated discrepancies in the relative human health impact due to the variation of the annual LNG demand by each destination and not only per the trip needs. The results show the importance of using a relatively cleaner fuel type such as Conventional-2 in reducing the health impact of LNG maritime transportation. Moreover, it shows differences in the air emissions as well as the human health impact based on the destination’s location and annual LNG demand.