An adaptation of life-cycle assessment for contaminated site remediation activities was used to examine a lead-contaminated site remediated by excavation and disposal. The study indicated emissions and impacts associated with energy consumption (transportation of contaminated soil to hazardous and nonhazardous sites), solid waste production (contaminated soil and sludge), land use at four sites (the contaminated site, two disposal sites, and a borrow pit for clean fill), and potential toxicity from emissions and contaminants remaining on-site. These impacts were drawn from an inventory compiled mainly from proprietary consultants' reports, and related to impacts through several stressor–impact models; the process-related indicators of global warming potential, solid waste burden, and ecological and human toxicity potential; and site-related indicators of land use and residual human toxicity burden. Ecological and human toxicity potentials were estimated using the Mackay level III model for southern Ontario, Canada, adapted for metals. The life-cycle approach proved useful for identifying potential impacts occurring at local, regional, and global scales, over all activities and locations affected by the remediation.
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Page et al. (1999) studied this question.
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