What are the harms of inhaling Freon

When it comes to Freon, many people actually don't know what it is. In fact, Freon is a gas that mainly has a cooling effect. The air conditioners we use every day use Freon for cooling. Generally speaking, Freon is not added to food, but many people believe that inhaling Freon can be harmful to the body. So, what are the harms of inhaling Freon?

Freon is a product developed by DuPont in 1928. Since the 1980s, the use of CFCs has become increasingly widespread, until there was evidence that it was damaging the ozone layer that protects the Earth, and humans began to develop new alternatives. Some governments are also offering new policies to help people replace products containing CFCs.

The chemical was originally developed for refrigeration. Freon is part of the chlorofluorocarbon family. Chlorofluorocarbons predate Freon and are toxic substances that contain ammonia and are used in refrigeration. Its leakage can lead to disease. At the beginning, people believed that Freon was a safe refrigerant that was non-toxic, non-corrosive, non-flammable, and non-reactive. And its use increased dramatically in the 1930s as manufacturers saw it as a safer and easier product to process.

In addition to being used as refrigerants in refrigerators and freezers, Freon is also used in air conditioning systems, fire protection systems and aerosol propellants. The widespread use of CFCs has led to the accumulation of large amounts of these chemicals in the environment. Eventually people realized that the Earth's ozone layer was beginning to thin, and suspected that CFCs were involved. Hence the ban on the use of this chemical began.

DuPont and other chemical companies have developed refrigerants that are safe to use to replace Freon. But large amounts of the chemical still exist and continue to damage the ozone layer. Old electrical appliances often contain Freon, so they should be handled properly to avoid leaks.

Unless the leak is large, a Freon leak will not immediately cause harm to human health. At room temperature, it is usually a gas and inhalation can cause suffocation because it displaces oxygen in the airways. An air conditioning expert can help clear the leak before it becomes dangerous.