CFC replacements cause vast ‘forever chemical’ pollution – new research

By Lucy Hart, PhD Candidate, Environmental Science, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
Ryan Hossaini, Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry, Lancaster University

When the phaseout of ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) was first agreed in 1987, the world narrowly avoided an environmental catastrophe. However, the replacement of CFCs is causing the pollution of the Earth’s surface with a “forever chemical” that could remain in the environment for centuries.

The chemical trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a breakdown product of numerous chemicals, including CFC replacement gases used in refrigeration and air conditioning, pharmaceuticals such as gases used in inhalation anaesthesia, pesticides, solvents and other forever…

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