Tim Wallington (Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich.): "Recognition of the adverse impact of chlorofluoro-carbons (CFCs) on stratospheric ozone has prompted an international effort to replace CFCs with environmentally acceptable alternatives. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are an important class of CFC replacements. HFC-134a (CF3CFH2) is a replacement for CFC-12 (CF2Cl2) in domestic refrigeration and automobile air conditioning units. Investment in HFC- 134a is on the order of a billion dollars! "Prior to the large-scale industrial use of HFC-134a, the environmental impact of its release into the atmosphere needs consideration. HFC-134a does not contain chlorine and so has no ozone-depletion potential associated with the well-established chlorine catalytic cycles. However, there has been speculation that CF3 radicals (formed during the atmospheric degradation of HFC-134a) could impact stratospheric ozone. To...
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