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Contamination by CFC’s

CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons are a group of gases that are used in many applications, mainly in the refrigeration and propylene aerosol industry. They are also present in thermal insulators. They are derived from saturated hydrocarbons obtained by replacing hydrogen atoms with chlorine, fluorine and carbon atoms basically.

They are the main culprits for the depletion of the ozone layer and have the ability to survive in the atmosphere for 50 to 100 years. Over the years they reach the stratosphere where they are dissociated by ultraviolet radiation, releasing the chlorine from their composition, which progressively affects and destroys the ozone layer. Next we will talk about the contamination by CFC’s .

You may also be interested in: Types of environmental pollution

What are CFCs used for?

They have adequate physical and chemical properties to be used in different applications, such as low boiling points, low viscosity and surface tension, and high chemical stability. For this reason, they are used in the refrigeration industry, air conditioners, domestic refrigerators, expanded plastics (polyurethane and polyethylene) and in aerosol products such as cosmetics, food, paints and insecticides, in addition to being used in solvents for cleaning electronic components.

To reduce this environmental impact, the only thing left to do is to minimize the use of CFCs by using other products that do not contain compounds that are harmful to the ozone layer, such as HFCs and HCFCs .

If you want to read more articles similar to Contamination by CFC’s , we recommend that you enter our Pollution category .

Maria Anderson
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Hello, I am a blogger specialized in environmental, health and scientific dissemination issues in general. The best way to define myself as a blogger is by reading my texts, so I encourage you to do so. Above all, if you are interested in staying up to date and reflecting on these issues, both on a practical and informative level.

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