--- In dmcnews@xxxx, "Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxx> wrote: <SNIP> >I don't believe > that CFC's really do anything to the ozone layer anyway. Coincidently all > this regulation crap came about at the same time that the patent on Freon > expired. <SNIP> > Walt Tampa, FL CFC's themselves are not what causes ozone damage per se. CFC= Chlorine, Fluorine, and Carbon. Or as it's formula is written, C3FC. Ultraviolet light reacts with the CFC chain, and will bust it apart. Ozone itself is three oxygen molecules together written as O3. That's rare because oxygen usualy only will bond with 1 other molecule due to it's number of electrons, which if you notice, is why oxygen tanks have O2 printed on them. So when the CFC chain is broken, the Chlorine molecules with steal a single oxygen atom from the ozone chain. Cl+O3= ClO & O2. Unfortunetly, it doesn't stop there. A stray single oxygen molecule can steal the single oxygen molecule from the new chain. ClO+O=Cl & O2. This means that the chlorine is now free again to rip apart another ozone chain, thus the cycle of destruction begins again. Now couple this with the amount of CFC's, and other ozone depleting gasses that are released, and you can see how the desturction of ozone outwieghs the natural replenishment of them. So yes, CFC's do have an impact on the ozone. BUT, they are not the only thing that causes ozone damage. When it gets into areas that are cold enough (like Antartica), compunds with sulfer, like Carbonyl Sulfide, will become britttle, and break apart. Thus they too can destroy ozone. Carbonyl Sulfide (COS) appears naturally from both volcanos, but is also created when diesel emissions are exposed to UV rays. The COS gets cold, breaks apart, and the extra oxygen molecule will bind to an ozone chain to destroy it. Unlike CFC's though, I don't beleive that it has the ability to renew itself to continue a destructive cycle. So yes, R-12 does indeed harm the ozone layer. Was is production ceased due to monitary reasons? Probably. With all the other chemicals that are currently produced, and released that cause damage to the ozone layer, R-12 does certainly appear to have been a convient scapegoat. R-134a is known as a HydroFlouroCarbon, or HFC. It's a stronger chemical chain, so it's less likely to be broken apart by UV rays. But it still can be broken apart, and can damage ozone. So in laymens terms, this means that R-143a is only going to do less damage than R-12. On the other hand, since it is more stable, it helps to contribute to global warming since it's a greenhouse gas. Combine this with the fact that an R-143a refrigeration systems in cars take more effort to run, and thus use more fuel and spit out more exhaust, and you'll pump out more harmful gasses into the enviornment anyhow. So in the end, if you want to keep your refridgeration systems in good health, run them at least once a month. This helps to circulate the oil inside to lubricate the seals. In addition, it helps to wash down the radiators on them as well with a good pressure water stream every so often. Plus any other maintenace reccomended helps as well. -Robert vin 6585 "X"