Application of reach and lca standard to the coal waste

The application of REACH and LCA systems to the coal waste was presented in this paper. Recent years has brought a growth interest in environmental management systems, which could minimize the negative environmental impact of chemical substances. As a result of that process standards such as REACH and LCA have been developed. Both of those systems are based on different assumptions. LCA refers to the whole life cycle of particular product and in consequence is considered as so-called „from cradle to grave” study. Analysis should include the harvesting of resources, production process, transport as well as storage and processing of waste. Comprehensive regulation of the LCA is a part of ISO 14000 series. Regulation considering the Regulation, Evaluation, Authorization and Restrictions of Chemicals (REACH) is European Union standard dated 18 December 2006. REACH addresses the process of production and use of chemical substances and their potential impacts on human health and environment. Whereas LCA refers to the whole product life cycle, the REACH system is strictly formalized. As a result producers, importers and further users are obligated to provide European Chemical Agency (ECHA) catalogued in regulation information regarding to physio-chemical, toxicological and eco-toxicological properties of chemicals. In this article coal waste has been selected to the analysis, which has been used to illustrate the main differences between REACH regulation and LCA standard. According to article 2 of REACH waste, as defined in Directive 2006/12/EC of European Parliament and Council is not substance, mixture or article within the meaning of Article 3 of regulation. As a consequence substance classification criteria contained in REACH regulation are insufficient for conducting a comprehensive analyse and should be complemented with elements of LCA standard.