Products Like Teflon: Chlorofluorocarbons
In the previous post, CFCs were mentioned as the chemicals that had similar negative impacts on the ozone layer as carbon tetraflourides. Nevertheless, it had not been fully explained how CFCs behave. Besides, as aforementioned, having a relatively long life span of 20-100 years, CFCs are similar to Teflon in that it was a chemical that was produced during the 1930's that was almost ubiquitously used, without tangible replacements.
CFCs, to be exact, were first developed in the late 20s and early 30s as alternatives to the dangerous substances used then used as coolants in refrigeration systems and air conditioners. However, after decades of application, it had finally been determined in 1984 that CFCs had a direct impact on the depletion of the ozone layer. Even now, due to their chemical properties that allow them to react with ozone hundreds of times before finally being scavenged by other chemicals, CFCs continue to damage the ozone layer. To prevent the ubiquitous usage of a substance of a potential threat to the ozone layer, the replacements to CFCs are now required to be tested for ozone depletion potential. Whatever the case may be with the replacements or the remnants of CFCs in their threat to the ozone, it is unfortunate that, much like the Teflon-like PFOS, CFCs were not fully tested—or their harmful properties not realized—for their ultimate damages. The unfortunate fact that these products were not fully tested, as well as the fact that there were no viable replacements for these widely used substances, has now led to the progeny of the people who developed those substances to eliminate those substances’ waste-like and eventually inimical remnants. If Teflon were to be found to behave in ways that could be a threat, as do CFCs and PFOS, it should be phased out as soon as possible so that we do not leave our children with the burden of having to clean up the threats of the persistent Teflon.