II. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND RISKS EVALUATION OF OFFSHORE DRILLING
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57
Impact Categories
Damage Categories
Human toxicity
Definitions
Units
Units
The Human Toxicity Potential is a
calculated index that reflects the
potential harm of a unit of chemical
released into the environment, and it is
based on both the inherent toxicity of a
compound and its potential dose.
kg 1,4DB eq
[DALY/ kg
1,4-DB eq]
Human Health
[DALY]
Ionising
radiation
It is related to the damage to human
health that is linked to the emissions of
radionuclides throughout a product life
cycle.
DALYs
[DALY/
DALYs ]
Acidification
Acidification potential is described as
the ability of certain substances to build
and release H+ions and is given in
sulphur dioxide equivalents. The
acidification of soils and waters occurs
predominantly
through
the
transformation of air pollutants into
acids, which leads to a decrease in the
pH-value of rainwater and fog from 5.6
and below.
kg SO2
eq
[PDF.m
2 .yr /
kg SO2 eq]
Ecosystem
Quality
[PDF.m
2
.yr]
Eutrophication
Excess supply of nutrients (nitrates and
phosphates) in an aquatic environment
that can lead to the proliferation of
aquatic plants.
kg
PO₄ ³⁻
eq
[PDF.m
2 .yr /
kg PO₄ ³⁻
eq ]
Terrestrial
Ecotoxicity
It is about the toxic substances impact
on the terrestrial ecosystem (organisms
and terrestrial plants).
kg 1,4DB eq
[PDF.m
2 .yr /
kg 1,4-DB
eq ]
Freshwater
aquatic
ecotoxicity
It is about the toxic substances impact
on the freshwater aquatic ecosystem.
Sediment ecotoxicology focuses on the
contaminants that adsorb to fine
particles, and on the organisms that
either live in the sediment or are
impacted
kg 1,4DB eq
[PDF.m
2 .yr /
kg 1,4-DB
eq ]
Freshwater
sediment
ecotoxicity
kg 1,4DB eq
[PDF.m
2 .yr /
kg 1,4
Marine aquatic
ecotoxicity
Marine ecotoxicity is about the toxic
substances impact on the marine
ecosystem.
Sediment ecotoxicology
focuses on the contaminants that adsorb
to fine particles, and on the organisms
that either live in the sediment or are
impacted.
kg 1,4DB eq
[PDF.m
2 .yr /
kg 1,4
Marine
sediment
ecotoxicity
kg 1,4DB eq
[PDF.m
2 .yr /
kg 1,4
Ozone layer
depletion
A thinning or even disappearance of this
layer resulting from an imbalance
between the production and destruction
of ozone in the stratosphere
kg
CFC-11
eq
[Kg CO 2 / kg
CFC-11 eq]
Climate
Change
[Kg eq CO2]
Global
warming
Gradual and long-term shifts in average
world temperatures at sea level,
primarily due to burning fossil fuels.
Kg CO 2
[Kg CO 2 /
Kg CO 2 ]