What Are The Hazards Of Refrigerants

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Ozone layer depletion.
In February 1985, J. Farman, the captain of the British Antarctic Expedition, first reported that since 1977, the total amount of ozone over Antarctica had rapidly decreased by about half from late September each year, forming an "ozone hole" that gradually recovered in November, causing worldwide shock.
Ozone depleting compounds are not only used for snow seeds, but also as cleaning agents in aerosol propellants, foaming agents, and electronic device production processes. Long lived brominated compounds, such as halon fire extinguishing agents, also play a significant role in ozone depletion.
Both chlorine atoms and nitric oxide (NO) can react with ozone, and CFCs are being produced and used in large quantities worldwide. Due to their good chemical stability (such as CFC12 with an atmospheric lifespan of 102 years), they are not easily decomposed in the troposphere. They enter the stratosphere where the ozone layer is located through atmospheric circulation, and under the irradiation of shortwave ultraviolet line UV-C, they decompose into CI free radicals, which participate in the depletion of ozone.
In summary, in order for ozone to be depleted, this substance must have two characteristics: chlorine, bromine, or another similar atom participating in the chemical reaction of ozone to oxygen; In the lower atmosphere, it must be very stable (i.e. with a sufficiently long atmospheric lifespan) to reach the ozone layer. For example, HCF22 and HCFC123, both of which have a chlorine atom and can deplete ozone, have atmospheric lifetimes of 12.1 and 14 years, respectively. The chlorine atom is relatively active and can decompose in the lower atmosphere, resulting in a small amount of ozone reaching the ozone layer. Therefore, the ability of HCFC22 and HCFC123 to destroy ozone is much smaller than that of CFCs.