Comparative\nAnalysis of Life Cycle Impact Assessment\nMethodologies for Toxicity: A Case Study of Soil Remediation Technology\nin China

Toxic impacts arising from soil pollution pose considerable\nrisks\nto the environment and to human health. The life cycle impact assessment\n(LCIA) distinguishes between ecotoxicity and human toxicity, based\non the contamination medium. This study compared six LCIA methodologies\nfor assessing toxicity and implemented them in evaluating soil contamination\nremediation, thus revealing differences in the methodological logic\nand characterization factors (CFs). The LCIA methodologies in soil\nremediation assessments highlighted significant effects from heavy\nmetal and inorganic emissions. The ecotoxicity analysis, employing\nIMPACT 2002+, TRACI 2.1, and USEtox 2.12, found that emissions of\nheavy metals, particularly zinc, were notably influential. In terms\nof human toxicity, the carcinogenic effects were substantially higher\nthan noncarcinogenic effects, with contributions from ReCiPe 2016\nand TRACI 2.1 amounting to 99.734% and 99.517%, respectively. Varied\nresults in toxicity assessments across different LCIA methodologies\nlikely stem from disparities in model logic and CFs, limitations of\nLCIA models, and differences in toxicity categorization. This research\nstrongly supports the further development and refinement of LCIA methodologies\nand the strategic choice of toxicity assessment methods across various\nindustrial settings.