The environmental impact of steel and aluminum body-in-whites

To demonstrate part of a decision-making methodology, this article evaluates steel and aluminum along traditional monetary and nontraditional environmental/health cost dimensions for the lifetime of a unibody body-in-white (B-I-W). This life is divided into four stages: the mining and refining of the raw material, the manufacture and assembly of the structure, the use of the automobile, and the post-use disposal. In terms of the six airborne pollutants tracked, comparisons between steel and aluminum are easily made because this set of effluents can be traced through all stages of the B-I-W life for both metals. In this direct comparison, assuming reduced emissions translate into ail unspecified measure of environmental/health benefits, aluminum generates certain benefits versus steel.