What is the latest in regards to refrigerants in air conditioning systems?
Due to environmental concerns, in 1987 the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement, established requirements that began the phase out of CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons) based refrigerants in developed nations. R-22 a HCFC refrigerant has been the refrigerant of choice for residential heating and cooling systems for more then 40 years. Another type of refrigerant, R-12 , a pure CFC, was used in automobile air conditioning and commercial refrigeration equipment until its phase out in the last few years. If refrigerants are released into the atmosphere, it is the chlorine contained in them that attacks the ozone layer. R-22 refrigerant contains only 5 percent of the chlorine that R-12 refrigerant contained. Because of the heavy concentration of chlorine in R-12 the phase out was accelerated and production stopped within a short period of time. Due to the small amount of chlorine in R-22 the phase out period will be much longer. Manufacturers can produce air conditioners containing R-22
