In 2005, a comprehensive comparison of life cycle impact assessment toxicity characterization models was initiated by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)–Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Life Cycle Initiative, directly involving the model developers of CalTOX, IMPACT 2002, USES-LCA, BETR, EDIP, WATSON and EcoSense. From this comparison four models CalTox, IMPACT 2002, USES-LCA, and EDIP97 where chosen to provide the basis for developing the USEtoxTM consensus model. The model includes characterization factors for human toxicity (more than 1000 substances) and for ecotoxicity (more than 2500 substances).

UNEP encourages the use of the USEtoxTM model by businesses and governments for characterization modeling of human and ecotoxic impacts in LCIA. The US
EPA will incorporate USEtoxTM into TRACI. USEtoxTM is also under evaluation by the European Platform on Life Cycle Assessments - established by the European Commission - to be recommended for calculation of characterization factors for ecotoxicity and human toxicity. (www.usetox.org).

Developers of the USEtoxTM model include:

Olivier Jolliet, PhD, Associate professor in impact and risk modeling at the School of Public Health of the University of Michigan http://research.sph.umich.edu/index.php?g=7
E-mail: olivier.jolliet@umich.edu

Dik van de Meent, PhD, Senior researcher at Laboratory for Ecological Risk Assessment at the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and professor at Department of Environmental Science Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands http://www.bio.vu.nl/thb/ncem/cv_dvdmeent_20060223.pdf
Email: dik.van.de.meent@rivm.nl

Thomas McKone, PhD, Deputy Department Head Indoor Environment Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and adjunct professor at the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley http://ehs.sph.berkeley.edu/people/mckone.htm
Email: temckone@LBL.gov

Ralph Rosenbaum, PhD, Research Officer/Lecturer at CIRAIG - Interuniversity Research Centre for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services, Ecole Polytechnique Montreal http://www.groupes.polymtl.ca/ciraig/en/fiche_ralph_rosenbaum_e.html
Email: ralph.rosenbaum@polymtl.ca

Manuele Margni, PhD, Research Officer/Lecturer at CIRAIG - Interuniversity Research Centre for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services, Ecole Polytechnique Montreal http://www.ciraig.org/en/fiche_manuele_margni_e.html
Email: Manuele.margni@polymtl.ca