Integrating Input Output Analysis with Risk Assessment to Prioritize Industrial Management Strategies for Lead in Taiwan
Date Issued
2015
Date
2015
Author(s)
Yeh, Chia-chi
Abstract
Lead (Pb) is one of the most widely used heavy metals in Taiwan, but it is toxic. In the past, the harmful impact of pollutants did not considered with a tool to systematically quantify the influence of economic activities on Pb emissions. In fact, the flows of Pb are driven by the human activities, including Pb related manufacture and consumption activities(Klee & Graedel, 2004). Therefore, health risk assessment (RA) and input-output analysis (IO) were integrated in this study to evaluate the relationship between population risks of Pb and industrial sectors’ activities. Finally, several recommendations on the environmental management of Pb are derived from our research. In this study, two type of major Pb releases were put into our modeling, including air emissions and soil the contamination from landfills. The system boundary of our modeling is Taiwan, in 2010. According to emission database, stack emission was 1213.42 tons Pb and landfill emission was 172.1 tons Pb (1385.52 tons Pb in total). The total emission of Pb may lead to 3.72 carcinogenic cases. It is found that the ingestion pathway was major exposure pathway, and inhalation and drinking of local water was the next. The ingestion of agricultural produce contributed the most to the exposure of ingestion pathway. In addition, Pb has low mobility characteristic in soil and safe liner system of landfill can avoid Pb leakage to the environment. So the reduction of Pb air emission would be the most effective measure to minimize the toxic impact caused by Pb in Taiwan. In the environment hot spot analysis, it is observed that high exposures tend to occur in the populated city in Taiwan, such as Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Taoyuan city. Based on risk hot spot, the highest population risk cities are Changhua and Taichung, while Tainan, Kaohsiung and Taoyuan city are the second high. In addition, the ranking of industry sectors that were contributing to total population risk are as follows: steel making (1.1952 cases), other manufacturing products (0.368 cases), plastic products industry (0.3034 cases), wearing apparel and clothing accessories industry (0.2774 cases), power and steam supply (0.2765 cases), other chemical material industry (0.2756 cases) and petrochemicals industry (0.2153 cases). Integrating tool of IO-RA method, we can prospect the health risk and the economic activities associated with different exposure pathways, different receptors. Hence, the “only the stacks pollute” perspective can be broken. The research results show that export is accounting for 54.84% of the final demand driven risk, and household consumption is accounting for 28.95% of the final demand driven risk. Environmental management strategies should be formulated based on the sectors of risk concern. The development of strategies toward industries can refer to the results in this study. The purpose of the study is effective management of health risk, which consider environenment and economy aspect to reduce risk largely by investing in limit resource and time. The effective management is the appropriate strategy in this study. From the production aspect, the high priority Pb risk control measures should be on the industries of other electronic parts and component industry, rubber products industry, other manufacturing products industry, beverages industry, textile products industry, other chemical material industry, wearing apparel and clothing accessories industry; from the comsumption aspect, the high priority Pb risk control measures should be on the industries of waste disposal and treatment industry, wearing apparel and clothing accessories industry, rubber products industry, steel making, beverages industry and other manufacturing products industry. Based on the above analysis, our results indicate that everyone should have responsibility for environment problem. It is thoughtless if only criticize on industry production.
Subjects
Lead
Risk Assessment
Input Output Analysis
Industry Management
Type
thesis
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