Global Warming and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Chlorofluorocarbons are non-toxic, non-flammable chemicals that are mainly used in the manufacturing of aerosols, blowing agents for foams and packing materials, as solvents, and as refrigerants. They are classified as Halocarbons, a class of compounds that contain carbon and halogen atoms, and are amongst a group of substances called “greenhouse gases”. They eat away at our ozone and raise the temperature of our planet significantly, causing detrimental damage to our planet.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) are a man-made substance that did not previously exist to the industrial area. They are a product of a collaboration of three American companies – Frigidaire, General Motors, and Du Pont -- after a series of fatal accidents during the 1920’s where toxic gases, (Methyl Chloride), used as refrigerants leaked from refrigerators. Thomas Midgley, Jr. of General Motors first synthesized CFC’s in 1928, and later, on December 31, 1928, Frigidaire was issued the first patent for this formula. CFC’s went under the trade name of Freon (11 and 12), licensed by Du Pont, and by 1935, they and their competitors had sold over eight million new refrigerators in the United States containing the substance. Because of the CFC safety record for non-toxicity, especially when compared to that of previously used substances for coolants, Freon became the preferred substance in large air-conditioning systems. Public health codes in many American cities were even revised to mandate the use of Freon. Soon thereafter the production and use of CFC’s took off, ranging from propellants for bug sprays, paints, hair conditioners, and in air-conditioning in automobiles. (See appendices 1) Peak annual sales of the product worldwide reached over one billion dollars US, and more then one million metric tons were produced.
CFC’s at ground level are perfectly safe, being inert at lower atmospheric levels, but they do undergo a significant reaction in the upper atmosphere or stratosphere. The first proof of this was in 1974 when a study by two university professors showed that CFC’s went through a process called “Photolytic Decomposition” (see appendices 2) thereby releasing chlorine atoms into the atmosphere where they would become active in the destruction of the Ozone. A loss of the stratospheric ozone would result in higher levels of ha...
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...of CO2), they have a much shorter life span, of about 13 years. The Copenhagen Amendment calls for their elimination by 2020. The HFC’s are considered to be the best substitute to CFC’s, as they do not contain chlorine (the substance that destroys ozone), their inability to trap heat and their short lifespan. In America, all new air conditioners in automobiles contain HFC’s, and their rate of use is growing rapidly, at a rate of 100% a year.
After nearly a century of use, CFC’s have finally been almost totally eliminated from production on the face of the planet. It seems as though we have finally taken a step in the right direction as far as preserving our ozone and our climate. Unfortunately, the repercussions of CFC’s will not go away anytime in the near future. Their effects will be felt well into the next century, as they continue to eat up what remains of our ozone and heat up our planet. Even after all of the CFC’s have decomposed, it will take generations before the ozone can begin to regenerate. That is one positive aspect of all this, and our future depends on it -- the damage done today is not irreversible -- but without immediate and drastic action, it will be.
15.2) The accumulation of chlorofluorocarbons is responsible for depleting the atmospheric zone. The atmospheric zone has changed in concentration due to human activity. The CFCs release chlorine atoms which react with ozone reducing it to molecular O₂. Following chemical reactions release the chlorine which reacts with other ozone molecules in a catalytic chain reaction. The ozone layer is getting thinner and thinner as stable air at places such as Antarctica allows reaction to continue. The accumulation of CFCs has led to increased UV radiation in sunlight reaching the earth thereby decreasing ozone levels. The global temperature has increased.
...Greenhouse gases are of global concern because they enhance global warming, which can alter many ecosystems such as in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic (BBC, 2009). Other gases such as carbon monoxide formed by the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons will also be emitted and the inhalation of such gases can cause death of human beings and other organisms by depleting the oxygen supply in the affected organism (USFA, 2009)
Freedom Industries is a service provider of specialty industrial chemicals for mining, steel, and cement. The company was founded in 1986 by Gary Southern and Carl L. Kennedy and is also a producer of freeze conditioning agents, water treatment polymers, dust control palliatives and other chemicals (Freedom Industries, 2005). The chemical that was released into the water supply is known as methylcyclohexane (MCHM) and not much is known about the potential health risks of exposure to the chemical.(The Associated Press, 2014). However, there is no guarantee that there are no long term health effects caused by the chemical since regulators do not have adequate data (The Associated Press, 2014).
Hairspray. Refrigerators. Air conditioners. These everyday luxuries, while making human life more comfortable, are taxing our health seriously. Clorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, are anthropogenic chemicals used in refrigerants and as propellants in aerosols. CFCs, also known as freons, are also the primary culprit behind the depletion of stratospheric ozone, which allows harmful ultraviolet rays to reach the Earth and its inhabitants.
I was not very conscious about HFCS because I looked at it as just a byproduct of many foods. But analyzing the article with the Sociological Imagination made me realize the health aspects, the economic aspects, and the social aspects that can result from HFCS. Now that I am aware of the effects of HFCS, I will be more diligent when purchasing and consuming certain food products.
The improvement of the Clean Air act by the US congress prodded the advancement of comparat...
Bromine and Chlorine are the only two halogens currently used in flame retardants, making brominated and chlorinated flame retardants. These two elements have similar properties and mostly act the same way; they stop or interfere with the chemical mechanism that leads to the formation of flammable gases that ignite or sustain the flame. These FRs have a special property; they can be added to plastics and plastic foam without changing their properties.
Over the last two centuries, humanity has become increasingly reliant on fossil fuels. Over that time, the consequences of constantly burning fossil fuels have accumulated into a threat to industrialized cities. The burning of fossil fuels causes acid rain to shower on cities and ecosystems around the world, tormenting their inhabitants. The increasingly deadly pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels has caused the deaths of many people around the world by causing respiratory problems. Not only has the pollution worsened, but the supply of fossil fuels is not limitless – as humanity’s reliance increases the supply decreases, and that is all the more reason to break humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels should be replaced with cleaner alternatives because fossil fuels cause environmental hazards, are non-renewable, and are detrimental to human health.
The factors for exponential growth for air-conditioning are the HVAC Market, energy, environment, communication, societal, political, preparing for the future, looking ahead, and the conclusion. Buildings of the U.S. use approximately 35% of the nation’s precise total of energy consumption. The worth of shipments by U.S. HVAC manufacturers was over $28 billion of 1996. Since there are 52,000 CHC chillers needed to be replaced among the U.S., there’s a large opportunity for new chillers, new technology for the HVAC industry. The ozone depletion is an international issue in which is currently being resolved. The 3rd world countries are still allowed to manufacture CFC’s. Illegal imports of CFC’S to the U.S. is a consistent concern. Many illegal imports are virgin CFC’s. Those whom have a political overtones are specifically the ones whom create a protectionism of local commerce, having a negative impact on those inside and out of the country.
In 1970, Crutzen first showed that nitrogen oxides produced by decaying nitrous oxide from soil-borne microbes react catalytically with ozone hastening its depletion. His findings started research on "global biogeochemical cycles" as well as the effects of supersonic transport aircraft that release nitrogen oxide into the stratosphere.2 In 1974, Molina and Rowland found that human-made chlorofluorocarbons used for making foam, cleaning fluids, refrigerants, and repellents transform into ozone-depleting agents.3 Chlorofluorocarbons stay in the atmosphere for several decades due to their long tropospheric lifetimes. These compounds are carried into the stratosphere where they undergo hundreds of catalytic cycles with ozone.4 They are broken down into chlorine atoms by ultraviolet radiation.5 Chlorine acts as the catalyst for breaking down atomic oxygen and molecular ozone into two molecules of molecular oxygen.
Hydrocarbons are compounds formed by carbon and hydrogen atoms. They are used as fuels to produce energy in incomplete and complete combustion reactions. Incomplete combustion occurs when hydrocarbons react with a small amount of oxygen (O2), whilst complete combustion occurs when hydrocarbons react with large amounts of oxygen. Incomplete combustions produce water (H2O), carbon monoxide (CO) and/or soot (C). The CO and soot produced from incomplete combustion can have harmful consequences on humans and the environment. They not only damage human health, but also contribute to the current issue of global warming, ozone formation, and black carbon footprint. That being said, CO is vital to the human body in order to properly function.
society today. The CFC cans used to be a serious problem to the ozone layer,
Global Warming is a condition caused by greenhouse gases and human activities. The increased concentration of greenhouse gases due to activities such as deforestation and fossil fuel burning is causing the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans to warm up. As a result of this, global warming has some serious effects in the shape of extreme weather, species extinctions, and rising sea levels. These effects can contribute to the changes that are taking place all over the world, most of which are dangerous enough to pose a threat to the survival of life on Earth in the future.
There needs to be a reduction if not extinction with the increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), per-fluorocarbons (PFCs) and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere because it is directly affecting global warming. The combustion of fossil fuels and greenhouse emissions mainly contribute to the increase of these gases. The longer we go without solving this global problem the more conflicts we will have in the future. Although global warming does make the earth warmer there is more to worry about than heating to death. Major concerns revolve around effects on agriculture, water resources, ocean level and coastal regions, and disease. Many scientists and experimenters still disagree with global warming using excuses such as ‘primitive’ climate models, which predict global warming trends, can not accurately simulate the Earth; it is too difficult because there are thousands of variables to consider. With the issue of global warming alternative sources of energy are looked for. “Data indicates that hydrogen is [the] only suitable future fuel.” (Williams, 102). Many scientists agree, but how long will it take for us to get there?
follows: (How do CFCs Destroy the Ozone) Cl + O3 -----> ClO + O2 ClO + O