Also known as CFCs, are composed of chlorine, fluorine, and carbon. In the 1970's and 1980's they were extremely popular as refrigerator coolants and circuit board cleaners, but have since been phased out due to fact that they contribute to the ozone hole.

Gases used as aerosols, refrigeration chemicals, and in the manufacture of plastics; thought to be largely responsible for ozone layer depletion.

Family of fluorocarbons, composed of carbon (C), chlorine (Cl) and fluorine (F); production is being phased out in all the signatory countries to the Montreal protocol (1987)

Chlorofluorocarbons and many chlorinated solvents such as 1,1,1 Trichloroethane destroy ozone, leaving holes in the Ozone Layer, especially over the poles. These holes are expanding towards the equator, and as a result the levels of harmful UV radiation in areas such as South America are dangerously high. UV radiation causes skin cancer and blindness in humans (and animals) and destroys plant life. Many waterproofing products are sold in aerosol form. Until recently, aerosols nearly all used CFC's as propellants. International laws and public pressure have now forced most manufacturers to switch to ozone friendly propellants, but many still use 1,1,1 Trichloroethane as a solvent to carry their active ingredients onto the garment. This is an extremely ozone-damaging chemical, yet some of these products still claim to be “Ozone Friendly”. Nikwax never has and never will use any chemical that is known to be a serious threat to the environment.

Chemical compounds with a carbon skeleton and one or more attached chlorine and fluorine atoms. Commonly used as refrigerants, solvents, fire retardants, and blowing agents.

Chlorofluorocarbons are synthetic gases consisting of chlorine, carbon, fluorine and nitrogen. They are often known as CFC, Du Pont's trading name. Among other things, CFC is used to transfer heat or cold in freezers, refrigerators, air-conditioning systems and so on, in the production of foam plastic and to clean electronic equipment. CFC destroys the ozone layer in the stratosphere, thereby significantly increasing harmful ultraviolet radiation on earth. CFC is also an aggressive greenhouse gas and is thought to be able to alter DNA. HCFC is usually known as “soft CFC”, as it does not contribute so extensively to ozone depletion as CFC. One replacement is HFC, which does not affect the ozone layer. In addition, it contributes less heavily to global warming than CFC.

Organic compounds made up of atoms of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. An example is Freon-12 (CCl2F2), used as a refrigerant in refrigerators and air conditioners and in making plastics such as Styrofoam. Gaseous CFCs can deplete the ozone layer when they slowly rise into the stratosphere and their chlorine atoms react with ozone molecules.

compounds containing chlorine, flourine, and carbon; they generally are used as propellants, refrigerants, blowing agents (for producing foam), and solvents. They are identified with numbered suffixes (e.g., CFC-11, CFC-12) which identify the ratio of these elements in each compound. They are known to deplete stratospheric ozone and also are greenhouse gases in that they effectively absorb outgoing infrared radiation in the atmosphere.

gases (commonly referred to as "CFCs") that are used in aerosols, refrigerators, and in making some plastics..... return

Any of various gaseous compounds of carbon, hydrogen, chlorine, and fluorine. These chemicals and some related chemicals have been used in great quantities in industry, for refrigeration and air conditioning, and in consumer products. When CFCs and their relatives are released into the air, they rise into the stratosphere. In the stratosphere, CFCs take part in chemical reactions which result in reduction of the stratospheric ozone layer (good ozone), the layer which protects the Earth’s surface from harmful effects of radiation from the sun

Chemicals that release chlorine atoms that destroy ozone high in the atmosphere. An animation of the process may be viewed by clicking here.

A gas used to make a refrigerator cold. CFCs have a negative impact on the ozone layer if they're accidentally released into the environment. Refrigerators made after Dec. 31, 1995 use refrigerants other than CFCs.

Chlorine and fluorine particles attached to carbon molecules, which attack ozone molecules, ripping off an oxygen atom, thereby changing ozone's composition to oxygen; found primarily in blowing agents used to make Styrofoam, propellants for aerosols, coolants and cleaners.

carbon compounds of two to four carbon atoms with varying numbers of chlorine, fluorine, and hydrogen atoms; implicated it stratospheric ozone depletion.

(CFCs ) A class of human-made chlorine compounds that destroys the atmospheric ozone that protects life on land from damaging ultraviolet radiation.

Chemicals used for refrigeration, air conditioning, aerosol sprays, and plastics. CFCs released into the atmosphere migrate high above the earth where they break down to form chlorine gas. Chlorine gas can destroy the ozone layer.

Synthetic organic compounds used for refrigerants, aerosol propellants (prohibited in the U.S.), and blowing agents in plastic foams. CFCs migrate to the upper atmosphere destroying ozone and increasing global warming. Typical atmospheric residence times are 50 to 200 years.

chemicals that are harmful to the environment, found in many sprays and other items

CFC's were used as a refrigerator coolant and as propellants in aerosol cans. CFC's were thought of as a great replacement for ammonia because ammonia is very flammable. CFC's are safe, nonreactive (inert) molecules in the lower atmosphere (troposphere), but in the stratosphere, where the UV radiation is intense, CFC's are broken down. UV light breaks the bond between the carbon and chlorine on the CFC molecule. With the highly reactive chlorine atom, now free, it reacts with ozone and destroys it.

Chlorine-based compounds used as aerosol propellants, coolants in refrigerators and air conditioning, in fire extinguishers, as solvents and in the production of insulating foam packaging; contribute to ozone layer depletion.

Chemicals, used in a variety of industrial applications, that are the dominant source of chlorine to the present-day stratosphere.

Also known as CFCs, these man-made chemicals contain carbon, fluorine and chlorine and were used to cool fridges.

(CFCs): compounds containing chlorine, flourine, and carbon. They are very stable in the troposphere, but in the stratosphere are broken down by strong ultraviolet light, releasing chlorine atoms that then deplete stratospheric ozone. They act also as greenhouse gases, absorbing outgoing infrared radiation in the atmosphere. Common uses are as propellants, refrigerants, blowing agents (for producing foam), and solvents.

Man-made gases containing chlorine or fluorine that are used for refrigeration, air conditioning, packaging, insulation, solvents, or aerosol propellants. Since they are not destroyed in the lower atmosphere, CFCs drift into the upper atmosphere where, given suitable conditions, they break down ozone. CFCs are also Greenhouse gases, but are covered under the 1987 Montreal Protocol and explicitly excluded from the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Artificial compounds formerly used in refrigeration and solvents. Prohibited by the Montreal Protocol as possible ozone-depleting substances.

A class of chemicals historically used as a coolant for refrigeration and air conditioning and in aerosol propellants and solvents, which drift into the upper atmosphere and lead to the destruction of the ozone layer.

A family of chemical compounds, some of which are volatile, nontoxic, and easily liquefied chemicals used in refrigeration, air conditioning, packaging, insulation or as solvents and aerosol propellants. CFCs are not destroyed in the lower atmosphere and rise readily into the upper layers, where their chlorine components destroy ozone. (See Ozone layer)

These chemicals and some related chemicals have been used in great quantities in industry, for refrigeration and air conditioning, and in consumer products. CFCs and their relatives, when released into the air, rise into the stratosphere, a layer of the atmosphere high above the Earth. In the stratosphere, CFCs and their relatives take part in chemical reactions which result in reduction of the stratospheric ozone layer, which protects the Earth's surface from harmful effects of radiation from the sun. The 1990 Clean Air Act includes provisions for reducing releases ( emission s) and eliminating production and use of these ozone-destroying chemicals.

A family of organic chemicals composed of chlorine, fluorine and carbon atoms, usually characterized by high stability contributing to a high ODP. These fully halogenated substances are commonly used in refrigeration, foam blowing, aerosols, sterilants, solvent cleaning and a variety of other applications. CFCs have the potential to destroy ozone in the stratosphere.

Compare? A family of chemicals commonly used in air conditioners and refrigerators as coolants and also as solvents and aerosol propellants. CFCs drift into the upper atmosphere where their chlorine components destroy ozone. CFCs are thought to be a major cause of the ozone hole over Antarctica.

CFCs, or chlorofluorocarbons, are used as refrigerants and as propellants in aerosols. The use of CFCs and other compounds (HCFC, Halons, Methyl bromide, 1,1,1 Trichloroethane) has been identified as the major cause of ozone layer depletion and their use is being phased out worldwide under the Montreal Protocol.

A family of inert, nontoxic, and easily liquefied chemicals used in refrigeration, air conditioning, packaging, and insulation, or as solvents or aerosol propellants. Because they are not destroyed in the lower atmosphere, they drift into the upper atmosphere, where, given suitable conditions, their chlorine components destroy ozone. Source: EPO.

A class of inert, non-toxic gases used in refrigeration, packaging, insulation, or as solvents and aerosol propellants, among other uses. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) can break down in the stratosphere to release ozone-damaging chlorine ions; they are being phased out of production pursuant to the Montreal Protocol. In addition to threatening the ozone layer, they are potent greenhouse gases. Their greenhouse-forcing effect, however, may be negated by their cooling effect in the stratosphere. See Montreal Protocol.

Synthetic compounds containing carbon, chlorine, fluorine, and sometimes hydrogen that are used in refrigerants, propellants, the manufacture of foams, and cleaning solvents.

Chemicals used in refrigeration, air conditioning, insulation, or as solvents and aerosol propellants. CFC's are not eliminated in the lower atmosphere, and therefore they float into the upper atmosphere where their components destroy the ozone layer.

A group of chemicals containing chlorine, fluorine, and carbon used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems and in the production of polymer foams. Inert at surface temperature and pressure, they become unstable in the stratosphere, breaking down to release chlorine, which initiates a catalytic chemical reaction leading to the destruction of ozone.

Chemical substances used in refrigerators, air conditioners, and solvents that drift to the upper stratosphere and dissociate. Chlorine released by CFCs reacts with ozone, eroding the ozone layer.

A family of inert, non-toxic and easily liquefied chemicals used in refrigeration, air conditioning packaging, and insulation, or as solvents or aerosol propellants. Because they are non-reactive, they drift into the upper atmosphere, where they are disassociated by solar radiation and where their components destroy ozone.

A group of ozone-depleting gases used in refrigeration that are being phased out under international agreements.

Cheap synthetic gases that serve as coolants in refrigerators and air conditioners and as propellants in aerosol spray cans. Although originally considered harmless, CFCs are now known to accumulate in the earth's atmosphere, where they destroy the protective ozone layer and trap the sun's heat- contributing to the greenhouse effect (see greenhouse gases). The use of CFCs is now controlled by the Montreal Protocol, an agreement signed by many countries.

CFCs are organic compounds that contain carbon, chlorine, and fluorine atoms. They are widely used as coolants in refrigeration and air conditioners, as solvents in cleaners, and as propellants in aerosols. CFCs are the main cause of stratospheric ozone depletion. One kilogram of the most commonly used Cs may have a direct effect on climate thousands of times greater than that of one kilogram of CO2.

synthetic products, which do not occur naturally and contain chlorine and fluorine; commonly used in various industrial processes and as refrigerants and, prior to 1990, as a propellant gas for sprays; deplete ozone in the stratosphere and are powerful greenhouse gases

any of various chemical compounds containing carbon, fluorine and chlorine used chiefly as lubricants and refrigerants and making resins and plastics.

A man made manufactured chemical not naturally present in the atmosphere. First developed in the 1920's, using great quantities since the 1950's and is a very effective greenhouse gas and contributes to the greenhouse effect at a level equal to methane.

Human-made chemicals that create holes in the atmospheric ozone layer.

Man-made chemical compounds containing chlorine, fluorine, and carbon, that are non-combustible.

are synthetic compounds which destroy stratospheric ozone and are also greenhouse gases. The primary use of CFCs today is as a coolant in refrigerators and air conditioners. CFCs are also used as solvents, foam blowing agents and aerosol propellants, though the use of CFCs in aerosol cans in the U.S. was outlawed 15 years ago. Substitutes for CFCs are under development, and some are already available. The Montreal Protocol for the Protection of the Ozone Layer is an international agreement that requires that parties to the convention in developed nations phase out CFCs by 1996.

nontoxic, nonflammable chemicals used in the manufacture of aerosol sprays, blowing agents for foams and packing materials, as solvents, and as refrigerants. In the stratosphere, the chlorine from CFCs destroys ozone, a gas that absorbs harmful UV radiation, at the rate of up to 100,000 ozone molecules per chlorine atom. As of January 1, 1996, most CFC manufacture has been banned in 148 countries that signed the Montreal Protocol, a measure to protect the ozone layer.

A group of synthetic gases (not found in nature) which were discovered and manufactured this century. They have many industrial uses, including refrigerants, making the bubbles in foam plastics, and the gas that makes some spray cans work. They are very long-lived in the atmosphere, and therefore are able to diffuse up to the stratosphere, where they are involved in destroying the ozone layer. For this reason they are being phased out under the Montreal Protocol. They are also powerful greenhouse gases.

Synthetically produced compounds containing varying amounts of chlorine, fluorine and carbon. Used in industrial processes and as a propellant for gases and sprays. In the atmosphere they are responsible for the depletion of ozone and can destroy as many as 10,000 molecules of ozone in their long lifetime. Their use is now currently restricted under the Montreal Protocol.

very powerful greenhouse gas generated in industrial process

Family of inert, nontoxic and easily liquified chemicals manufactured for use as coolants, cleaning solvents, plastic, aerosol propellants and foam insulation.

(CFCs) Man-made compounds used as refrigerants and cleaning solvents, often long-lived in the atmosphere.

CFCs are chemicals manufactured from hydrocarbons, such as methane, chlorine, fluorine, or bromine. Used in refrigerants and solvents, they can destroy the ozone in the upper atmosphere when released. The EPA has banned their use by 1997.

Organic compounds made up of atoms of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. An example is CFC-12, used as a refrigerant in refrigerators and air conditioners and as a foam blowing agent. Gaseous CFCs can deplete the ozone layer when they slowly rise into the stratosphere, are broken down by strong ultraviolet radiation, release chlorine atoms, and then react with ozone molecules. ()

CFCs are synthetic industrial gases composed of chlorine, fluorine, and carbon.  They have been used as refrigerants, aerosol propellants, cleaning solvents and in the manufacture of plastic foam.  There are no natural sources of CFCs.  CFCs have an atmospheric lifetime of decades to centuries, and they have 100-year "global warming potentials" thousands of times that of CO2, depending on the gas.  In addition to being greenhouse gases, CFCs also contribute to ozone depletion in the stratosphere and are controlled under the Montreal Protcol.

Human-made molecules that destroy ozone in Earth's upper atmosphere (p.228-229).

Synthetic chemical gases used in aerosols, packaging and refrigeration.

A family of greenhouse gases used in air conditioning, as industrial solvents and in other commercial applications. Abbreviated CFCs. CFCs destroy ozone in the stratosphere (see ozone). CFCs were once widely used in spray cans but in the U.S. this use has now been banned. Other uses are also being eliminated under an international agreement negotiated in Montreal in 1987.

a family of inert, nontoxic, and easily liquified chemicals used in refrigeration, air conditioning, packaging, insulation, or as solvents and aerosol propellants. Because CFCs are not destroyed in the lower atmosphere they drift into the upper atmosphere where their chlorine components destroy the ozone layer

( CFCs) Is an artificially created gas that has become concentrated in the Earth's atmosphere. This very strong greenhouse gas is released from aerosol sprays, refrigerants, and the production of foams. The basic chemical formula for chlorofluorocarbons is CFx Clx .

Man-made gases that deplete the ozone layer.

stable, artificially-created chemical compounds containing carbon, chlorine, fluorine and sometimes hydrogen. Chlorofluorocarbons, used primarily to facilitate cooling in refrigerators and air conditioners, have been found to damage the stratospheric ozone layer which protects the earth and its inhabitants from excessive ultraviolet radiation.

A range of compounds of chlorine, fluorine and carbon. Implicated mainly in the destruction of stratospheric ozone but also in enhancing the greenhouse effect.

A family of manmade chemicals containing chlorine that include R12 automotive air conditioning refrigerant. CFCs have been blamed for a deterioration of the Earth's protective ozone layer. CFCs have been phased out of production by international agreement

Gaseous compounds used in cleaning products and other items.

(Abbreviated CFCs; also called freons.) A series of compounds of entirely anthropogenic origin that were used in industrial applications throughout most of the twentieth century. The major CFCs are CFC-11 (CFCl3) and CFC-12 (CF2Cl2). These compounds have long atmospheric lifetimes (many decades) enabling them to be transported to the stratosphere. The discovery that liberation of chlorine from these species was responsible for the appearance of the antarctic ozone hole each spring led to the introduction of the Montreal Protocol, which banned the use of these species. Although they are no longer in use, their long lifetimes will lead to a very slow removal from the atmosphere.