Peace and Environment News* June 1995
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Peace and Environment News * June 1995 |
by Irene Brownstein
 From Healing the Sky, Friends of the Earth, 1989. |
International efforts are underway to stop the production and use of CFCs, the gases primarily responsible for depletion of the ozone layer. It is now up to consumers to insist that governments and businesses support these efforts.
The Montreal Protocol signed in 1987, which bans manufacture and use of CFCs as of December 31, 1995, is an unprecedented global response to the danger posed by ozone layer depletion. However, CFCs are slow to reach the stratosphere, where ozone destruction occurs, and it is estimated that they will persist for up to fifty years even though the rate of buildup has slowed. Scientists estimate a further average loss of 2 to 3 percent of ozone over Canada in the next five years, at about the time the rate of ozone depletion is expected to reach its peak.
Definitive proof of the role of CFCs in ozone layer depletion came last December, when the U.S. Space Agency NASA announced that three years of data from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite showed conclusively that stratospheric chlorine and fluorine from the breakdown of CFCs is the cause of the Antarctic ozone hole. CFCs are gases composed of molecules containing one or two carbon atoms surrounded by chlorine and/or fluorine atoms.
Efforts are also under way to phase out methyl bromide, a powerful ozone depleter used as a pesticide and soil fumigant. Canada has announced it will reduce use of methyl bromide by 25 percent by 1998.
Foams
CFCs are used to manufacture rigid foams for furniture and for insulation of refrigeration units. Alternate blowing agents and new chemical processes are available to lessen the use of CFCs. In most European countries, these have led to a 50 percent reduction in the amount of CFCs needed to make foam insulation for refrigerators.
Foam cups and food packaging are now made with "soft CFCs"—HFCs or HCFCs, which have less long-term impact on the ozone layer. According to Greenpeace, however, soft CFCs have a far greater short-term impact on the ozone layer than figures from producers indicate. Greenpeace claims that HFCs and HCFCs are also extremely strong global warming agents. The United Nations' Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion for 1994 advocates stopping emissions of HCFCs by 2004, and the European Union is considering phasing out HCFCs by 2015. New agreements under the Montreal Protocol reached in 1994 require phasing out HCFCs by the year 2030.
Consumers can:
Aerosols
Good news here. As a result of consumer boycotts and other forms of public pressure, the federal government banned CFC propellants in hair sprays, deodorants and antiperspirants in 1980. Since then, alternate propellants, such as pentane and butane, have become standard.
Consumers can choose CFC-free aerosols, and preferably avoid aerosols altogether.
Solvants and sterilants
CFCs are used in liquid form to clean electrical components and in gas form to sterilize medical instruments. Consumers can write to the companies that use CFCs and let them know that they want a CFC-free product.
Refrigerants and air conditioners
CFCs are used as heat-transfer chemicals in all forms of refrigeration for home, car or commercial use. To make CFC-free products, manufacturers are switching to the use of HFCs and HCFCs.
Sears has been conducting a pilot project using Halezone Blue Bottles to trap and recycle CFCs. The Canadian-developed Blue Bottles, manufactured by Halzone Technologies, are being tried out in five Ontario cities. The Halezone Blue Bottle is a light, portable cylinder that is easy to carry and use, hopefully superior to former bulky CFC recycling systems. Blue Bottles will hopefully virtually eliminate the leakage of any refrigerant into the atmosphere, including CFCs and their substitutes HCFCs and HFCs. The captured refrigerants are recycled for the long-term servicing of existing cooling systems.
Inglis Limited, Canada's largest major home appliance supplier and exporter, now has some models available which use a CFC-free refrigerant. The new products are available under several brand names and in different models. They replace CFC-12 with HFC-134A as the sealed system refrigerant. HCFC-141b replaces CFC-11 as the blowing agent.
In Europe, the Greenfreeze refrigerator developed by Greenpeace has captured most of the market. It is not available in North America. The Greenfreeze, which is smaller than the standard North American refrigerator, works with a mixture of about 20 grams of propane and butane as a refrigerant. Its insulating foam is blown with cyclo-pentane. Greenpeace claims that the Greenfreeze is equal in efficiency to CFC or HFC-134a-run refrigerators. The new fridge is being promoted and marketed in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe.
New cars and trucks are now air-conditioned using HFC-134a. Procedures are being developed for retrofitting older models; however, retrofits may be very costly if the hoses and compressors are not compatible with the new chemicals. In Canada, 47 percent of trucks and 63 percent of cars are air conditioned.
Nissan Motors are the first Japanese car manufacturers to produce kits designed to adapt old air conditioners to a new generation refrigerant. The kits are custom designed for each type of vehicle and will soon go back to 1985 models. Nissan eliminated CFCs from their new vehicles a year and a half ago, and has pioneered in introducing CFC recycling technology.
Some problems
Many appliance sellers are vague about whether their stock is CFC-free or whether company warranties will cover conversion if not enough CFC is available for repair. Consumers should ask some very careful questions about the warranty on their new unit. They should be sure they know what refrigerant and what blowing agent are in the new product, and they should check out the repair shop and ask what refrigerant will be used to top up their appliance.
Some other tips:
Irene Brownstein is a regular contributor to the Peace and Environment News.
Converted July 7, 2000 - Lg
To follow up on this article, contact the author or the organizations/individuals mentioned; do not contact the Peace and Environment Resource Centre - we cannot provide follow up or contact information. This article is an archival copy of the printed one in the Peace and Environment News (PEN). Viewpoints expressed should not be taken to represent the opinions of the Peace and Environment Resource Centre, the PEN, or our supporters.
