Freon gas: Characteristics - uses – Types - dangers

Freon

Freon gas is the trade name for a certain class of organic chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFs), and some similar compounds. Freon gas contains mostly hydrogen, bromine, and chlorine, in addition to fluorine and carbon.

Characteristics of freon gas

Freon gas is a non-flammable gas, which is colorless, and although Freon gas is often odorless, some types of it have an odor similar to ether. Freon is also distinguished in that it maintains its gaseous state at room temperature, and it can be liquefied by compression or cooling, and it is four times heavier than air, and Freon is also drained directly to the ground in the event of any leakage in the container that preserves it.

Freon gas uses

Freon gas is widely used in air conditioning and refrigeration devices that replace warm air with cold air, until the desired temperature is reached, and it is the same gas used in home air conditioning, central commercial air conditioning, and in car air conditioning. a wide range of food services; such as transportation, processing, and storage.

Types of Freon Compounds (CFC)

There are many types of Freon that have different uses, including:

·       Freon R134A: Tetrafluoroethane, which is used mainly in cars.

·       Freon R22: It is a chlorodifluoromethane (Chlorodiofluoromethane), and it is used in large-capacity air conditioners, and in air conditioning units of residential and commercial units, in addition to its use in some means that are used for transportation, in food services, and ice machines, as well as in food storage. and processing, and in commercial refrigeration equipment of medium and low temperatures.

·       Freon R410A: It is a replacement for the previous type (Freon R22), because Freon R22 has been discontinued worldwide; Because it is a substance that depletes the ozone layer.

·       Freon R11: It is trichloromonofluoromethane (in English: Trichloromonofluoromethane), and it is used in air conditioners and refrigerants, and it is one of the most dangerous types of Freon on the ozone layer; Because it contains three atoms of chlorine, and when it rises to the upper layers of the atmosphere, it works to break up and break down the molecules of the ozone layer, thus destroying it.

The dangers of freon gas to the ecosystem

It has been fully proven that chemicals that contain chlorine in their components contribute to significant damage to the ozone layer, and thus to its depletion, and accordingly the Montreal Convention stipulated stopping the use or manufacture of this gas or any of its compounds, and for this reason the implementation of the Montreal Protocol is considered successful. In reducing many concentrations of gases that deplete this layer in the atmosphere, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

One of the results of following the policies and laws of the Montreal Convention is a decline in all levels of stratospheric chlorine, and it is also expected that the ozone layer will return to its normal levels that were before 1980. It has recently been noticed that the concentration of dichloromethane in the atmosphere is what depletes the ozone layer and is increasing very dramatically, a substance that the Montreal Convention did not mention, and if this increase continues - even if it is slight - it will cause Delayed recovery of the ozone layer.

The photochemical separation of freons as well as all related chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) is one of the main causes of the deterioration of the ozone layer in the atmosphere, and the depletion of the ozone layer leads to a threat to human and animal life on the surface of the globe. Because the ozone layer absorbs very harmful ultraviolet rays, it is considered a catalyst for skin cancer.

Pneumatic spray containers are banned in the USA; This is because it contains Freon gas. Many developed countries have worked to prevent the production of almost all types of freons; To accumulate evidence that ozone is starting to run out in the polar regions.

Alternatives to freon gas that is harmful to the ecosystem

We find that some cities under the Montreal Convention rely on environmentally friendly air conditioners and refrigerants, which are devices that contain Freon R123, which is an alternative to air conditioners that run on Freon R11.

The dangers of Freon gas to the human body

Some studies have been conducted to find out the effect of exposure to CFCs on human health. Among these studies are those that were conducted in the Heart Clinic at the Suez Canal Authority Hospital in Egypt, which combined two categories of workers in refrigeration plants, half of whom are exposed to CFCs and the other half are not exposed to these compounds. , and in each category 23 people, and the result of the study resulted in the conclusion that exposure to CFCs causes heart problems represented by irregular heartbeats. Despite its ability to raise the level of cholesterol in the blood, and raise the protein beta-2 microglobulin in the urine, its role in high blood pressure and the occurrence of coronary heart disease is not yet clear.

Contact of Freon gas (chlorofluorocarbon) with the skin leads to simple and superficial burns, but these burns develop spontaneously after several days to completely thick burns if treatment is neglected. Therefore, they require a surgical treatment by removing the affected skin and transplanting the skin of another.