TRACI is an impact assessment methodology developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that facilitates the characterization of environmental stressors that have potential effects, including ozone depletion, global warming, acidification, eutrophication, tropospheric ozone (smog) formation, ecotoxicity, human health criteria-related effects, human health cancer effects, human health noncancer effects, and fossil fuel depletion. TRACI was originally designed for use with life-cycle assessment (LCA), but it is expected to find wider application to pollution prevention and sustainability metrics.
To develop TRACI, impact categories were selected, available methodologies were reviewed, and categories were prioritized for further research. Impact categories were characterized at the midpoint level for various reasons, including a higher level of societal consensus concerning the certainties of modeling at this point in the cause-effect chain. Research in the impact categories of acidification, smog formation, eutrophication, human health cancer, human health noncancer, human health criteria pollutants was conducted to construct methodologies for representing potential effects in the United States. Probabilistic analyses allowed the determination of an appropriate level of sophistication and spatial resolution necessary for impact modeling for each category, yet the tool was designed to accommodate current variation in practice (e.g., site-specific information is often not available). The methodologies underlying TRACI reflect state-of-the-art developments and best-available practice for life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) in the United States.
Key Contact: Jane Bare - email: bare.jane@epamail.epa.gov