The life cycle assessment(LCA)method is widely used for the systematic identification and assessment of environmental issues among different products and processes,especially for identifying pollutant emissions and minimizing the environmental impacts of products and processes.Pharmaceutical chemicals and intermediates are usually more complex,which result in greater environmental impacts than basic bulk chemicals.Therefore,LCA can systematically quantify and analyze the potential environmental impacts of the entire life cycle of products in the pharmaceutical field to support the"dual-carbon"goal of China.This paper briefly describes the four steps of the LCA method,including goal and scope definition,life cycle inventory,life cycle impact assessment,and life cycle interpretation.On this basis,the current status and research progress of the application of LCA in the pharmaceutical field are specified from the aspects of drug production,medical devices,and medical services.Additionally,the crucial existing problems in the pharmaceutical LCA studies are identified,such as relatively rare studies,difficult in the data collection,especially for drug intermediates which usually have complex structures,lack of the life cycle upstream data,the low accuracy of the data,and inconsistency in the LCA method.Finally,relevant suggestions are proposed to support the sustainable development of the pharmaceutical field from the life cycle perspective.
维普
万方数据