Environmental Risk Index Research Articles

Evaluating Environmental Risks and Waste Management in Chemistry Laboratories: Integrating FMEA and Cleaner Production

The issue of environmental waste production has increased substantially, and educational institutions have become initiating agents because of their research and practical activities. This research work has the following objectives: To assess and analyze the environmental aspects and environmental impacts created by the chemistry laboratories at the Institute of Health and Biotechnology (IHB) in Coari, Amazonas, using management methodologies. The FMEA and Cleaner Production (CP) approaches were applied for risk assessment and decision-making to identify risks and propose preventive measures. It becomes clear that the Environmental Risk Index (ERI) guides activities toward managing or reducing risk. In the 67 cases of the process, 32 of them were assessed as priorities, two of which are high risk and require action. The results include the following objectives for a Waste Management System (WMS) suited to the environment in the institution: compliance with current environmental laws or regulations and the creation of a safer environment for students to work and learn.

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK INDEX OF THE MAIN HERBICIDES USED IN THE STATE OF MATO GROSSO

Given the concern about environmental contamination due to the intensive use of pesticides in Brazilian agriculture, such as in the state of Mato Grosso, it is necessary to analyze the particularities that active ingredients (AI) exert on the environment to help reduce their impacts. The Environmental Risk Index (IRA) is a means of identifying these damages. Thus, the objective of this study was to perform the IRA of the herbicides most commonly used in Mato Grosso to control weeds in soybean, corn and cotton crops. The survey was carried out by AI, based on data from the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Defense, while the physicochemical characteristics of the herbicides, necessary for the IRA equations, were obtained from three databases (PPDB, PPD and IBAMA). The parameters used to construct the IRA were: persistence in the soil, leaching, volatility, dose and toxicological profile of the herbicides. The survey indicated 42 herbicides were used, but 11 compounds accounted for 98.2% of the total volume sold, with glyphosate being the first in the ranking, with a total mass of 134,138,025 kg ai sold in the last three years in Mato Grosso. The IRA results for the largest mass sold in decreasing order were: atrazine, diuron, trifluralin, glyphosate, 2,4-D, clomazone, S-metolachlor, diquat, haloxifop-methyl, clethodim and glufosinate-ammonium. The herbicides atrazine, MSMA, diuron, trifluralin and pendimethalin were the ai that presented the highest IRA. In general, all herbicides presented medium to very high toxicity levels, resulting in a worrying factor for ecosystems when they reach non-target organisms.

Assessment of Ecological Safety of Packing Materials

The issues of assessing the environmental safety of packaging materials based on life cycle analysis are considered. The results of calculations of material environmental safety indices and product ecological risk indices are given. The ecological footprint at all stages of the life cycle of the investigated packaging materials is revealed and their comparative analysis is carried out. The obtained results allow to choose the packaging material with the smallest ecological footprint during its life cycle.

Sediments of Hydropower Plant Water Reservoirs Contaminated with Potentially Toxic Elements as Indicators of Environmental Risk for River Basins

Sediments of Hydropower Plant Water Reservoirs Contaminated with Potentially Toxic Elements as Indicators of Environmental Risk for River Basins

Analysis of the environmental state of the Sarata River in Odesa Region

The relevance of the study is dictated by the need to preserve the water resources of southern Ukraine and ensure their good environmental condition. In the context of military operations, Odesa Region plays a key role in providing the country with agricultural products because of significant damage incurred to agricultural lands of Mykolaiv and Kherson Regions in the course of military actions. Hence the role of irrigation and the need to restore and modernize irrigation systems are growing. One of fresh water reservoirs of Odesa Region is Sasyk reservoir (artificially created as part of the estuary) which accumulates fresh water supplied from the Danube. The Kogylnyk and the Sarata rivers flow into the northern part of the reservoir and can worsen its hydroecological condition. The subject of the study: pollution of the rivers across North-Western Black Sea Coast by chemicals. The object of the study: the environmental state of the Sarata River. The study is aimed at assessing the environmental state and environmental risks of chemical pollution of the Sarata River. The water quality assessment was performed based on a modified version of water pollution index (WPI). Biogenic substances (ammonium nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen) were identified as the main pollutants. The content of chlorides and sulfates is also significant. The assessment of the pollution risks by biogenic substances is based on calculations of the statistical probit function. The source materials of the research include hydrochemical observations made by the State Agency of Water Resources of Ukraine for the period from 2007 to 2023 in the upper reaches of the Sarata River - village of Miniailivka (94 km from the mouth, near the border with Moldova) and in the lower reaches of the Sarata River - village of Bilolissya (14.3 km from the mouth). The analysis of probability of exceeding the MPC for fishery use indicated that, in terms of nitrite ions and nitrate ions, such probability is higher in the upper basin than in the lower one. According to other indicators, the probability of exceeding the MPC by pollutants is either almost the same or slightly increased in the lower reaches. The assessment of water quality according to the modified WPI (dissolved oxygen, BOD5, ammonium, nitrite and nitrate ions, phosphates) showed that the water quality in the Sarata River mainly belongs to the "moderately polluted" and "polluted" classes. According to the environmental risk indicators, it was established that the possibility of a "high" risk of contamination by biogenic substances does prevail. Its probability is 52.9% for the upper reaches and 60% for the lower reaches. The "high" level of class IV pollution (ER=0.60-0.79) corresponds to an "unsatisfactory" environmental condition. The probability of achieving the class of a "good" environmental condition (class II, ER=0.20-0.39) is quite small: 17.6% in the upper reaches and only 6.67% in the lower reaches. Thus, the Sarata River belongs to such rivers, the natural properties of which underwent significant changes as a result of sewage delivery from "Sarata Komunservis" utility enterprise, settlement of Sarata. Contaminated waters are unsuitable for drinking, household and sports purposes, as well as for fish farming. The quality of the Sarata River's water has a negative impact on the environmental state of Sasyk reservoir.

Assessment of the Atmospheric Deposition of Potentially Toxic Elements Using Moss Pleurozium schreberi in an Urban Area: The Perm (Perm Region, Russia) Case Study.

Assessment of air quality in urban areas is very important because pollutants affect both the environment and human health. In Perm (Russia), a moss biomonitoring method was used to assess the level of air pollution. The concentrations of 15 elements in 87 samples of moss Pleurozium schreberi in the city territory were determined using a direct mercury analyzer and an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Using factor and correlation analyses, the grouping of elements and their relationship with emission sources were established. The main sources of emissions of potentially toxic elements are the transportation (road and rail), metallurgical, and chemical industries. The level of atmospheric air pollution was assessed by calculating the environmental risk index, pollutant load index, and pollution coefficient. Based on the values of the pollution index, the level of atmospheric air pollution in Perm varies from unpolluted to highly polluted, with moderate environmental risk.

Building resilience: Insights into ecosystem-based integrated environmental risk reduction approaches for urban environments in coastal Bangladesh

The intricate relationship between environmental quality, ecosystem services, and human well-being underscores the importance of understanding and addressing environmental complexities. Considering these issues, this research aims to propose ecosystem-based approaches for mitigating environmental risks within the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) area, while also elucidating the connection between ecosystem services and these risks. By doing so, it indirectly addresses disaster risk reduction approaches, acknowledging the relationship between environmental degradation and increased disaster occurrences. Leveraging multi-spectral Landsat images from 2001 (Landsat-5), 2011 (Landsat-5), and 2021 (Landsat-8), the study evaluates LULC dynamics and quantifies ecosystem service values (ESVs) using the Benefit Transfer Method. Additionally, seven key indicators, including land use-based carbon emissions, elevation, LST, NDVI, NDWI, NDSI, and NDBI, were analyzed to monitor spatiotemporal changes. The weighted overlay method was employed to integrate raster data and delineate environmental risk zones driven by deteriorating ESVs in KCC. Notably, the study reveals a significant increase in highly environmental risk areas from 7 % to 34 % and a decrease in medium-risk areas from 92 % to 60 % of the total area between 2001 and 2021 due to the decline in ecosystem services resulting from unplanned rapid urbanization. Furthermore, a moderate negative correlation (R2 values of 0.56, 0.67, and 0.69) between ESVs and the environmental risk index underscores the linkage between deteriorating ecosystem services and the expansion of high-risk zones. Furthermore, this study advocates policies such as drought-resistant tree plantations, community involvement, post-disaster resource provision, funding allocation, and stakeholder knowledge dissemination to enhance the resilience of KCC.

Assessment of the migration characteristics and source-oriented health risks of heavy metals in the soil and groundwater of a legacy contaminated by the chlor-alkali industry in central China.

The chlor-alkali industry (CAI) is crucial for global chemical production; however, its operation has led to widespread heavy metal (HM) contamination at numerous sites, which has not been thoroughly investigated. This study analysed 122 soil and groundwater samples from a typical CAI site in Kaifeng, China. Our aim was to assess the ecological and health risks, identify the sources, and examine the migration characteristics of HMs at this site using Monte Carlo simulation, absolute principal component score-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR), and the potential environmental risk index (Ei). Our findings revealed that the exceedance rates for Cd, Pb, Hg, and Ni were 71.96%, 45.79%, 49.59%, and 65.42%, respectively. Mercury (Hg) displayed the greatest coefficient of variation across all the soil layers, indicating a significant anthropogenic influence. Cd and Hg were identified as having high and extremely high potential environmental risk levels, respectively. The spatial distributions of the improved Nemerow index (INI), total ecological risk (Ri), and HM content varied considerably, with the most contaminated areas typically associated with the storage of raw and auxiliary materials. Surface aggregation and significant vertical transport were noted for HMs; As and Ni showed substantial accumulation in subsoil layers, severely contaminating the groundwater. Self-organizing maps categorized the samples into two different groups, showing strong positive correlations between Cd, Pb, and Hg. The APCS-MLR model suggested that industrial emissions were the main contributors, accounting for 60.3% of the total HM input. Elevated hazard quotient values for Hg posed significant noncarcinogenic risks, whereas acceptable levels of carcinogenic risk were observed for both adults (96.60%) and children (97.83%). This study significantly enhances historical CAI pollution data and offers valuable insights into ongoing environmental and health challenges.

Digital Visualization of Environmental Risk Indicators in the Territory of the Urban Industrial Zone

This study focused on predicting the spatial distribution of environmental risk indicators using mathematical modeling methods including machine learning. The northern industrial zone of Pavlodar City in Kazakhstan was used as a model territory for the case. Nine models based on the methods kNN, gradient boosting, artificial neural networks, Kriging, and multilevel b-spline interpolation were employed to analyze pollution data and assess their effectiveness in predicting pollution levels. Each model tackled the problem as a regression task, aiming to estimate the pollution load index (PLI) values for specific locations. It was revealed that the maximum PLI values were mainly located to the southwest of the TPPs over some distance from their territories according to the average wind rose for Pavlodar City. Another area of high PLI was located in the northern part of the studied region, near the Hg-accumulating ponds. The high PLI level is generally attributed to the high concentration of Hg. Each studied method of interpolation can be used for spatial distribution analysis; however, a comparison with the scientific literature revealed that Kriging and MLBS interpolation can be used without extra calculations to produce non-linear, empirically consistent, and smooth maps.

New insights into the impact of leachates from in-field collected plastics on aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates

The impact of leachates from micronized beached plastics of the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean on coastal marine ecosystems was investigated by using a multidisciplinary approach. Chemical analysis and ecotoxicological tests on phylogenetically distant species were performed on leachates from the following plastic categories: bottles, pellets, hard plastic (HP) containers, fishing nets (FN) and rapido trawling rubber (RTR). The bacteria Alivibrio fischeri, the nauplii of the crustaceans Amphibalanus amphitrite and Acartia tonsa, the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis, the embryos of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, the ephyrae of the jellyfish Aurelia sp. and the larvae of the medaka Oryzias latipes were exposed to different concentrations of leachates to evaluate lethal and sub-lethal effects. Thirty-one additives were identified in the plastic leachates; benzophenone, benzyl butyl phthalate and ethylparaben were present in all leachates. Ecotoxicity of leachates varied among plastic categories and areas, being RTR, HP and FN more toxic than plastic bottles and pellets to several marine invertebrates. The ecotoxicological results based on 13 endpoints were elaborated within a quantitative weight of evidence (WOE) model, providing a synthetic hazard index for each data typology, before their integrations in an environmental risk index. The WOE assigned a moderate and slight hazard to organisms exposed to leachates of FN and HP collected in the Mediterranean Sea respectively, and a moderate hazard to leachates of HP from the Atlantic Ocean. No hazard was found for pellet, bottles and RTR. These findings suggest that an integrated approach based on WOE on a large set of bioassays is recommended to get a more reliable assessment of the ecotoxicity of beached-plastic leachates. In addition, the additives leached from FN and HP should be further investigated to reduce high concentrations and additive types that could impact marine ecosystem health.

Paying to pollute? The calculation of environmental indicators in crematorium burden sharing schemes

ABSTRACT This article addresses the role of calculations in shaping what numbers convey in crematorium burden sharing schemes. Two co-existing numerical indicators are present in these schemes, with one speaking to the limitation of environmental risk and another to exchange value generation. The environmental risk indicator emerges from the calculations present within environmental policy discussions, where numbers are measured against the damage of air emissions to the environment. Yet, burden sharing involves the introduction of new calculations that cultivate a second indicator of exchange value generation. These calculations are used to decide on the worth of environmental compliance afforded by emissions credits, correlating numbers with the generation of money and away from a focus on sustaining environmental health. The paper offers an empirically grounded contribution to the politics of the environmental disposal of the dead body by demonstrating how the use of numbers inside of crematorium burden sharing schemes reflects a tension between environmental and market-based values.

Air quality, metal(loid) sources identification and environmental assessment using (bio)monitoring in the former mining district of Salsigne (Orbiel valley, France)

The former mining district of Salsigne is situated in the Orbiel valley. Until the 20th century, it was the first gold mine in Europe and the first arsenic mine in the world. Rehabilitation has been performed during the 20 years that followed closure of the mines and factories, which led to the accumulation of storage of several million tons of waste in this valley. Nevertheless, a detailed description of the air quality of this area is still missing. The goal of the present study is to evaluate atmospheric contamination in the valley and identify the potential sources of this contamination.Active monitors (particulate matter samplers) and passive bioindicators (Tillandsia usneoides) were placed in strategic sites including remote areas. Over the year 2022, we assessed the air quality using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, as well as environmental risk indicators to report the level of contamination.Results indicate that the overall air quality in the valley is good with PM10 levels in accordance with EU standards. Elemental concentrations in the exposed plants were lower than reported in the literature. Among the different sites studied, Nartau and La Combe du Saut, corresponding to waste storage and former mining industry sites, were the most affected. Chronic exposure over 1 year was highlighted for Fe, Ni, Cu, Pb, Sb and As. Pollution Load Index and Enrichment Factors, which provided valuable information to assess the environmental condition of the valley's air, suggested that dust and resuspension of anthropogenic materials were the principle sources for most of the elements. Finally, this study also highlights that using T. usneoides could be a convenient approach for biomonitoring of metal (loid)-rich particles in the atmosphere within a former mining area, for at least one year. These results in turn allow to better understand the effects of chronic exposure on the ecosystem.

Environmental performance, financial development, systemic risk and economic uncertainty: What are the linkages?

The paper studies the relationships among the composite indicators of environmental performance, financial development, systemic risk and economic uncertainty for a balanced panel of 57 countries during 2010–2020. The analysis builds on panel local projections by Jordá (2005). In addition to the whole panel, this technique also applies to two sub-panels obtained via the K-means clusterization conditional on a set of composite indicators of environmental performance. We underscore a two-way relationship between systemic risk and environmental performance. An increase in systemic risk improves the environmental quality, albeit to the detriment of economic growth and energy consumption, whereas ex ante higher values of the key composite indicators of environmental performance mitigate systemic risk. Financial development adversely affects environmental performance. Contrary to the prevailing view, this effect is mostly related to the development of financial markets compared to the development of financial institutions. Economic uncertainty is found totally unrelated to the composite indicators of environmental performance. The aforementioned key findings generally hold after splitting the whole panel into the two sub-panels. Overall, our results induce policymakers to treat with caution certain policy recommendations aimed at improving environmental quality, since reducing systemic risk, increasing financial development as a whole or shifting towards a market-based financial system do not necessarily help accomplish this goal.

Holistic Environmental Risk Index for Oil and Gas Industry in Colombia

Risk management for technological hazards mainly focuses on the consequences for human lives. Although technological risk analysis evaluates environmental vulnerability, it does not reflect the consequences of environmentally exposed elements. This paper’s objective is to propose a conceptual framework and create a multidisciplinary evaluation model for environmental risk analysis in the oil and gas industry. A holistic assessment was carried out based on probabilistic risk analysis methodologies to obtain a holistic environmental risk index, HERi. Moncho’s Equation was adapted by combining ecological risk, ER, and an aggravating coefficient, F. Transformation functions were utilized to represent the risk probability distributions. The results from the holistic environment risk index were standardized in a sigmoidal function using the ALARP criteria. Finally, the methodology was applied in two case studies in Colombia, comparing the results with an alternative model. This study found that Colombian armed conflict is a key factor that increases environmental risk in oil and gas projects. The proposed methodology takes a holistic approach by integrating socioeconomic factors and resilience considerations into the risk assessment process. This approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of the environmental risks associated with oil and gas projects in Colombia and promotes more effective sustainable management actions.

Improving a herbicide risk assessment model in paddy rice cultivation

Herbicides play a pivotal role in paddy rice cultivation by effectively controlling weeds, thus ensuring optimal resource utilisation and higher crop yields, making them indispensable for efficient rice production systems. However, herbicide applications could be related to potential environmental impacts such as water contamination and harm to non-target species, requiring special attention in their management to ensure the long-term sustainability of rice farming practices. The development and utilisation of robust risk assessment indicators for pesticides are essential tools in evaluating and mitigating potential environmental and human health hazards associated with pesticide use in agricultural practices. The Environmental Potential Risk Indicator for Pesticides (EPRIP) is not suitable for rice paddy cultivation due to its limitations in accurately assessing pesticide risk in this specific agricultural context. This is primarily attributed to the unique hydrological characteristics and ecosystem dynamics of paddy fields, which significantly differ from other agricultural systems. To address this issue and to enhance the accuracy of pesticide risk assessment in rice paddy fields, EPRIP has been improved and validated in two agricultural seasons. A synergistic approach involving field experiments and enhanced EPRIP model simulations was employed to assess the risk associated with the application of two herbicides in Italian paddy rice systems. The observed and model-predicted surface water (SW) concentrations exhibited a close alignment, though an overestimation was observed for groundwater (GW). In general, the estimated Risk Points (1 for SW and 4 for GW) were largely in accord with those derived from the field experiments (1 for SW and 3 for GW), suggesting that the refined EPRIP model holds promise for conducting reliable risk assessments following herbicide applications in such contexts.

Abundance and risk assessment of microplastics in water, sediment, and aquatic insects of the Nile River

Microplastics (MPs) are a serious threat in freshwater environments. The ecological risk and abundance level of MPs in abiotic and biotic compartments of the Nile River haven't been systematically reported. Thus, these issues were highlighted in the present study during different seasons of the sampling year. The results showed that MP concentrations in the river ranged from 2.24 ± 0.6 to 3.76 ± 1.1 particles/L, 298 ± 63 to 520 ± 80 particles/kg dry weight, and 0.081 ± 0.051 to 4.95 ± 2.6 particles/individual in surface water, sediment, and different species of aquatic insects, respectively. All the extracted MPs are colored blue, red, and black. Fiber-shaped polyesters (<500–1500 μm) were the most common MPs in all the river compartments. MPs' dominance was observed during the summer in comparison with that in the other seasons. Environmental risk indicators indicate the high ecological risk of MPs, which are widely distributed in the Nile River. In conclusion, MP consumption by aquatic insects may not only be related to levels of environmental contamination, since other variables, such as taxon size, weight, and particular feeding behavior, may also be significant. Additionally, the presence of MPs in insects (at lower trophic levels) creates the potential for predation-based inter-trophic level transmission. Thus, higher trophic-level investigations of various feeding groups should be carried out to identify any possible harm that MPs cause to various aquatic organisms.

The Assessment of Sewage Sludge Utilization in Closed-Loop Economy from an Environmental Perspective

Sewage sludge, a by-product of wastewater treatment, is garnering increasing attention in the pursuit of closed-loop economy practices due to its highly beneficial fertilizing properties. However, like any technique, using sewage sludge as fertilizer has potential and limitations. Heavy metals within sewage sludge are a primary limitation curtailing its application as a fertilizer. This study collected sewage sludge samples from four wastewater treatment plants and soil from potential application sites. The mobility of heavy metals was then examined using a sequential BCR analysis. Furthermore, a comprehensive environmental risk assessment associated with the agricultural use of sewage sludge was conducted, using various risk indicators such as Igeo and Nemerov, to compare the cumulative metal concentrations in the sewage sludge and soil. Additionally, risk assessment codes, ecological risk indices of metal mobility, and environmental risk indices were calculated, specifically focusing on the mobility of metals in the soil environment. This research demonstrates that sewage sludge failing to meet conventional criteria for agricultural use based on total metal content does not necessarily pose a high-risk application. Understanding the mobility forms of metals in sewage sludge is crucial, influencing the analysis of their potential utilization. Importantly, sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants utilizing biological bed technology tends to exhibit a higher tendency of heavy metals to exist in mobile forms, migrating within the soil environment.

Effects of different concentrations and particle sizes of microplastics on the full life history of freshwater Chlorella

Microplastics (MPs) as pollutants can have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems; however, their effects on the full life history of microalgae need to be further explored and thoroughly examined. In this study, we investigated influence of polystyrene (PS) plastics with different concentrations (10/50/100 mg/L) and particle sizes (0.1/0.5/1 μm) on the full life history of Chlorella; their potential environmental risks were also analyzed. The results showed that PS(0.1um) had the strongest inhibitory effect on Chlorella growth (Max(inhibition) 68.42%), PS(0.5/1um) can not only promote (Max(promotion) 55.48% and 55.05%) but also prolong cell growth; PS has various effects on photosynthetic efficiency of Chlorella. PS(0.1um) can significantly promote Fv/Fm, inhibit RC/ABS, F0/Fv, DIo/RC, and both inhibit and promote rETRmax, but effect of PS(0.5/1μm) is generally consistent with that of control group; PS affects the morphological structure and interaction of Chlorella significantly, and can squeeze and aggregate cells. Zeta potential fluctuated greatly in the initial stage of experiment, and was stable as Relative conductivity in the later stage. About 65.5% of PS(0.1um) can enter cell, which has potential risk of entering the food chain; Statistics on long and short-term impacts showed significant differences in growth and photosynthesis efficiencies, as well as in interactions; the potential environmental risk index (PERI) indicates that class II (slightly polluted) has the highest percentage (64.72%), and that the concentration and composition of MPs are important influences on potential environmental risk. Overall, the long-term impacts of PS were diverse, but Chlorella also showed good resilience. Meanwhile, we found that most of the previous short-term studies may be one-sided and incomplete, the real impacts of MPs may be overestimated. Our research could provide scientific support for assessing the risks posed by MPs.

Trend of critical minerals utilization for Indonesia’s Sustainable Energy Transition: A review

The European Union calculates supplies of essential minerals using an economic significance index, a supply risk index and an environmental risk index. The U.S. Geological Survey uses three indicators to assess critical mineral risks in the country: foreign ownership of mineral assets and activities, trade dependence, and indirect trade dependence. Indonesia has a history of strong mineral production, and new prospects in the critical minerals sector are developing rapidly. Positioned as a major producer of nickel, the main component of lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars. This supports technological innovation that can improve infrastructure and support sustainable development, which is in line with SDG 9. Indonesia is increasing its capacity to produce other important minerals, such as rare earth elements and cobalt, in addition to nickel production. This research uses the literature study method. The aim is to review the development of essential minerals towards sustainable development.

Assessing the environmental risk of fire and explosion events associated with chemical process routes

The development of inherently environmentally friendly chemical process plants is one approach to reduce or avoid potential harmful environmental consequences that could occur due to chemical plant accidents. This can be achieved by selecting the chemical process route involving the least environmental risk, during preliminary design stage. To assist the route selection process a risk-based index called Inherent Environmental Risk Index for Fires and Explosions (F&E-IERI) is proposed. The F&E-IERI assesses and ranks chemical process routes considering environmental impacts caused by accidental fires and explosions that could occur in a chemical plant. This index considers the environmental impact magnitude, fire or explosion event occurrence frequency, and the environmental element vulnerability. A higher index associated with the route indicates a higher environmental risk. The proposed index has been applied in four possible routes to produce acetone. The p-diisopropyl benzene oxidation process route to produce acetone showed the lowest F&E-IERI value indicating the route having the lowest environmental risk.