How does freon affect the environment

These same chemicals are also used in some types of insulation foam and as the propellant in aerosol spray cans. The most common type of refrigerant used to be chlorofluorocarbons, more widely known by their acronym CFCs. But after CFCs were found to be depleting the ozone layer, there was a worldwide effort to phased them out. The Montreal Protocol — a landmark environmental agreement signed by over countries — means these environmentally harmful chemicals are no longer produced.

But the effort to get rid of CFCs resulted in many chemical manufacturers choosing to replace them with two groups of chemicals with a different problem — hydrofluorocarbons HFCs and hydrochlorofluorocarbons HCFCs.

These refrigerants break down ozone molecules far less, but are extremely potent greenhouse gases. Their capacity to warm the atmosphere — measured as global warming potential — is thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide , with some being up to 13, times more potent.

This is because HFCs and HCFCs — along with CFCs — also absorb infrared radiation, trapping heat inside the atmosphere rather than allowing it to escape back into space, creating a greenhouse effect that warms the planet.

Although these chemicals are used for a number of different purposes, by far the largest source of emissions is from refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Over time they can leak out into the atmosphere from damaged appliances or from car air conditioning systems , for example. If achieved, this could avoid more than 0.

As HFCs are potent gases that can remain in the atmosphere for up to 29 years , there is an urgent need to phase them out, says Doug Parr, chief climate scientist at Greenpeace. But industry experts say these harmful refrigerants are still widespread and increasing rapidly due to a global surge in demand for air conditioning , sluggish innovation from industry and inadequate legislation around their disposal.

All around the world, the demand for air conditioning is growing as temperatures rise and people become wealthier, according to the International Energy Agency IEA.

Recent heatwaves in Europe have also driven sales of air conditioning in areas where they were previously uncommon. The number of global cooling devices is estimated to increase from 3. Providing cooling to everyone who needs it, and not just those who can afford it, will require 14 billion devices by , the report notes. There are ways to cool a home without the need for air conditioning. Traditional approaches use water features such as fountains to help cool the air passing through a building, while others use careful design to encourage natural air circulation.

Even simple approaches like placing an earthenware pot of water near a window or drafty spot can help to cool a room by a few of degrees. Read more about how to cool your home without AC. Part of the problem with refrigerants, however, is that much of the harm they cause is after we as consumers have finished using them. It occurs out of sight, and so largely out of mind. This means that proper disposal is essential. If the refrigerant chemicals are carefully extracted and stored, they can be purified for reuse or turned into other substances that do not cause global warming.

Proper management and reuse of potent refrigerant gases could slash billion gigatons of global CO2 emissions between and , according to the EIA.

The most common HFC found in domestic fridges is HFCa, which has a global warming potential 3, times that of carbon dioxide. A typical fridge can contain between 0. Consumers looking to get rid of their old fridge, freezer or air conditioning unit in a responsible fashion have a number of options open to them. However, fluorine and carbon compounds have excellent characteristics, they are tasteless, odorless, non-flammable, easy to liquefy, harmless to humans, and non-toxic. However, they will last forever and destroy the ozone layer.

In , an ozone hole was discovered in the South Pole. The ozone hole appears around August every year, increases from September to October, and disappears from November to December.

HCFC Phase-out will be accomplished in , and methyl bromide was completely abolished in However, recovery of gas and equipment produced in the past is an issue. Are called chlorofluorocarbons in the chlorofluorocarbon emission control law. Freon gas is chemically stable and easy to handle, and has low toxicity to the human body. It is used in various applications such as cleaning agents and aerosols for semiconductors and precision parts.

Please click here to see any active alerts. HFCs are intentionally-made fluorinated greenhouse gases used in the same applications where ozone-depleting substances have been used, including motor vehicle air conditioning. Like the ozone-depleting substances they replace, most HFCs are potent greenhouse gases with very high global warming potentials GWPs. In , automobile manufacturers began the transition to new, climate-friendly alternative refrigerants.

MVAC systems are one end-use within the refrigeration and air conditioning sector. SNAP lists substitutes as acceptable, acceptable subject to use conditions or unacceptable. MVAC refrigerants are listed as either acceptable subject to use conditions or unacceptable. Vehicles may only be retrofitted with alternatives approved under SNAP for use as retrofits.

This includes all hydrocarbon refrigerants.