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At the heart of any
EMS are Environmental Aspects and Impacts, which
can be thought of as the cause and effect of what
we do and how it affects the environment. A
company or facility can identify its aspects and
their environmental impacts by examining the
inputs and outputs to its operations. For example,
at the SEFSC we use electricity (an input) for
heating, ventilation and air conditioning (an
activity). Most electricity is produced by the
burning of coal which produces air emissions that
reduce air quality and create acid and nitrogen
deposition that degrade water quality (outputs).
By reducing our use of electricity we can reduce
the effect producing this electricity has on the
environment. Below is a review of facility Aspects
and Impacts identified for this EMS.
Definitions
Environmental
Aspect: is any element of an organization's
activities, products and services that can
interact with the environment.
Activity: is a
natural or normal function of an organization like
our employees collecting flora or fauna samples,
diving, commuting to work or traveling for
inspections and meetings, as well as their use of
computers, printers, lights and telephones when
they are in the building.
Product: is what
we produce for example letters, reports, permits
and guidance.
Service: is
performing any of the business functions auxiliary
to our production or distribution, such as
mailing, e-mailing and faxing information to
others and making telephone
Environmental
Impact is any change to the environment, whether
adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially
resulting from an organization's activities,
products and services.
| Aspects |
Activities
/ Products / Services |
Impacts |
|
Consumption
of Disposable Supplies
|
Sample Preparation/Analysis/Disposal
Packaging
and Shipping
Research
and Administration (office work)
|
Land/Water
Contamination from Solid Waste Disposal
|
|
Consumption
of Fossil Fuels (Vehicle)
|
Employee
Commuting
|
Vehicle
Exhaust Emissions (Nox, CO, CO2)
|
|
Consumption
of Fossil Fuels (Facility)
|
Heating,
Ventilation and Air Conditioning
Operation
of Mechanical Systems
Operation
of Controlled Environments
|
Power
Consumption
Emissions
(CO2, SO2, Hg, As, U, Th)
|
|
Consumption
of Reagents, Non-Hazardous Chemicals and
Samples
|
Chemical/Sample
Storage
Sample
Preparation
Sample
Analysis
Surface
Cleaning
|
Land
Disposal of Solid Waste
Wastewater
Discharges to POTWs
|
|
Consumption
of Toxic and/or Hazardous Chemicals
|
Chemical/Sample
Storage
Sample
Preparation
Sample
Analysis
Maintenance
Activities (e.g., Painting)
|
Land
Disposal of Solid Wastes
Disposal
of Hazardous Waste
Wastewater
Discharges to POTWs
|
|
Operation
of Fume Hoods
|
Sample
Preparation
Sample
Analysis
|
Air
Discharges of VOCs
Land
Disposal of Solid Waste (Filters)
|
|
Release
of CFCs
|
Heating,
Ventilation and Air Conditioning
Operation
of Environmental Chambers
|
Ozone
Depletion
|
|
Paper/Ink
Consumption
|
Printing
and Copying
Packaging
and Shipping
|
Natural
Resource Depletion
Pulping
Plant Emissions
Container
Manufacturing Plant Emissions
Land
Disposal of Solid Waste
|
|
Water
Consumption
|
On-Site
Water Treatment
Sample
Preparation
Sample
Analysis
Glassware/Equipment
Cleaning
Personal
Hygiene
Food
Preparation
|
Wastewater
Discharges to POTWs
Land
Disposal of Solid Waste (Sludge)
Deletion
of Natural Resources
|
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