Difficult ethical and political issues confront the application of scientific and technological solutions for preventing pollution from occurring. Often the questions embodying proposed solutions to known problems are ambiguous; and no singular solution can exist for all locations. Yet the common organizing principle for all solutions to environmental problems must be scientific, because only sound science can provide a rational understanding that decision-makers can use universally. The NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on Tools and Methods for Pollution Prevention (October 12-14, 1998, Prague, Czech Republic) was designed to assemble experts from NATO and former socialist countries of Eastern Europe to discuss science-based tools and methods, either available or in development, that can be used to analyze environmental impacts of manufacturing processes and manufactured products. The presentations at the workshop were written up specifically for the purpose of this book, albeit after peer reviews and thorough revisions. Most of the chapters focus on specific method development for designing environmentally benign processes or products. Several chapters take a broader view and focus on such designs from an implementation perspective, and dwell on ethical conflicts, resistance to change because of inertia or inadequate infrastructure, and on the lack of resources. We placed these chapters at the beginning of the book. The volume starts with the overview by Sikdar et aI. , who describe the scope and difficulties of pollution prevention in the manufacturing sectors.

Tools for Pollution Prevention.- Environmental Issues in Developed and Developing Countries: A View from the Chemical Community in the Czech Republic.- Promoting Cleaner Production as a Tool for Improvement of Industrial Production Efficiency and Environmental Protection - Experience from Newly Independent States.- Pollution Prevention: an Opportunity for the Romanian Iron and Steel Industry - Life Cycle Assessment, the First Step to Pollution Prevention.- Industry Approches to Life Cycle Assessment - German Experience and Results of a Comparative European Survey.- The Application of Life Cycle Assessment to Process Selection, Design and Operation.- Lca: Comparison Between Recycle And Reuse of Glass Beer Bottles.- Simplified Lca to Identify Ecosystem Based Detergent-Policies for the Danube Basin Countries.- Life Cycle Assessment in Pollution Prevention - Trends in Method Developments and Simplifications.- Environmental Impact in a Life-Cycle Framework: Practical Approaches for Decision Making.- The Eco-Indicator 98 Explained - Lca Impact Assessment Methodology Intended for Product Development Application.- The Role of Mass Balance Modeling in Impact Assessment and Pollution Prevention.- Environmental Impact Assessment: an Overview of Method Types and Key Factors.- Process and Equipment Design for Utility-Based Pollution Prevention.- Synthesis of Batch Processes with Integrated Solvent Recovery.- Sustainable Pollution Prevention through Mass Integration.- Process Design for Environmental Problems.- Computer Aided Product Design and Pollution Prevention through Substitution.- Designing Environmentally Benign Solvent Substitutes.- Material Substitution - History, Driving Forces and Current Developments.- Pollution Prevention Assessment Tools for Manufacturers.-Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process for Integrating Environmental Considerations into Process Design Decisions.