Delia Barnett
Dr. Lurain
AT Organic Chemistry
March 5, 2019
Chlorofluorocarbons, commonly known as CFCs, once lauded as revolutionary refrigerants, have over the years been revealed to cause unthinkable harm to the ozone layer and the environmental health of our planet as a whole. As such, the United States government has enacted numerous pieces of legislature regarding the usage and control of CFCs, officially banning the compounds in 1996, though they were used in a few products, such as inhalers to treat asthma, until 2013 (ToxTown, 2017). In 1987, the US signed the Montreal Protocol, which has been dedicated to protecting the ozone layer for over 30 years now. CFCs had been found in everything from refrigerators to air conditioners, aerosol cans, and more - it is safe to say that CFCs had been very present in and influential to many of the mass produced products sold to millions of consumers. Though their banning might seem like a detriment to the American market, there have been many alternative replacements that are not as harmful to the planet. In the last decade, other hydrocarbons have been authorized by the EPA for use as refrigerants, as they are not considered a threat to the ozone layer, though they still have the potential to contribute to global warming (Walker, 2011).
In spite of these alternative energy options, the black market for CFCs is alive and well. Though many developed countries ceased production of CFCs after the Montreal Protocol, countries such as China have not followed suit. By 2005, China had reduced its legal CFC production by over 25,000 tons - a seemingly impressive feat until it was revealed that the reduction in legal CFC production only increased the activity on the black market for the refrigerants (Graham-Rowe, 2005). In spring of 2018, it was reported that increasing amounts of CFC-11, a catastrophically ozone-depleting greenhouse gas, was being released into the atmosphere (Doniger, 2018). These CFCs were traced to China, where companies in numerous regions had set up illegal chemical manufacturing plants for CFCs, particularly in the Chinese foam industry. But the illegal production in China of compounds meant to be phased out years ago brings one question into focus: what is propelling the black market trade of CFCs?
One article written in 1997 credits the rise of the black market trade of CFCs to the gradual phase-out of CFCs in the late 20th century - as taxes on CFCs rose, smugglers found it profitable to illegally move CFCs into the country, successfully evading the taxes imposed on their product (Poole Landers, 1997). However, after the 1996 phase-out of CFCs and CFC products, the demand for them did not cease, and neither did the illegal market, which only grew to fill the gap left by the cessation of legal CFC production and trade. Certain classifications of countries under the Montreal Protocol were not required to phase out CFC production until as late as 2010, making it cheaper for smugglers to illegally import CFCs from developing nations than to illegally produce CFCs in developed countries or rely on oftentimes much more expensive alternative sources (Poole Landers, 1997). The trend of prioritization of the individual’s immediate comfort and ease over the survival of the collective have greatly contributed to the sustenance of the illegal market for chlorofluorocarbons as opposed to less harmful viable alternative refrigerants.
Bibliography:
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): Your Environment, Your Health | National Library of Medicine. (2017, May 31). Retrieved from https://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/chemicals-and-contaminants/chlorofluorocarbons-cfcs
Doniger, D. (2018, July 12). Chilling News: Spotlight on Illegal CFC Production and Use. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/experts/david-doniger/chilling-news-spotlight-illegal-cfc-production-and-use
Graham-Rowe, D. (2005, December 17). Illegal CFCs imperil the ozone layer. Retrieved from https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8475-illegal-cfcs-imperil-the-ozone-layer/
Poole Landers Jr., F. (1997). THE BLACK MARKET TRADE IN CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS: THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL MAKES BANNED REFRIGERANTS A HOT COMMODITY. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1486&context=gjicl.
Walker, L. (2011, December 15). EPA Approves Three Alternative Refrigerants to Replace HFCs. Retrieved from https://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/12/epa-approves-three-alternative-refrigerants-to-replace-hfcs/
Dr. Lurain
AT Organic Chemistry
March 5, 2019
Chlorofluorocarbons, commonly known as CFCs, once lauded as revolutionary refrigerants, have over the years been revealed to cause unthinkable harm to the ozone layer and the environmental health of our planet as a whole. As such, the United States government has enacted numerous pieces of legislature regarding the usage and control of CFCs, officially banning the compounds in 1996, though they were used in a few products, such as inhalers to treat asthma, until 2013 (ToxTown, 2017). In 1987, the US signed the Montreal Protocol, which has been dedicated to protecting the ozone layer for over 30 years now. CFCs had been found in everything from refrigerators to air conditioners, aerosol cans, and more - it is safe to say that CFCs had been very present in and influential to many of the mass produced products sold to millions of consumers. Though their banning might seem like a detriment to the American market, there have been many alternative replacements that are not as harmful to the planet. In the last decade, other hydrocarbons have been authorized by the EPA for use as refrigerants, as they are not considered a threat to the ozone layer, though they still have the potential to contribute to global warming (Walker, 2011).
In spite of these alternative energy options, the black market for CFCs is alive and well. Though many developed countries ceased production of CFCs after the Montreal Protocol, countries such as China have not followed suit. By 2005, China had reduced its legal CFC production by over 25,000 tons - a seemingly impressive feat until it was revealed that the reduction in legal CFC production only increased the activity on the black market for the refrigerants (Graham-Rowe, 2005). In spring of 2018, it was reported that increasing amounts of CFC-11, a catastrophically ozone-depleting greenhouse gas, was being released into the atmosphere (Doniger, 2018). These CFCs were traced to China, where companies in numerous regions had set up illegal chemical manufacturing plants for CFCs, particularly in the Chinese foam industry. But the illegal production in China of compounds meant to be phased out years ago brings one question into focus: what is propelling the black market trade of CFCs?
One article written in 1997 credits the rise of the black market trade of CFCs to the gradual phase-out of CFCs in the late 20th century - as taxes on CFCs rose, smugglers found it profitable to illegally move CFCs into the country, successfully evading the taxes imposed on their product (Poole Landers, 1997). However, after the 1996 phase-out of CFCs and CFC products, the demand for them did not cease, and neither did the illegal market, which only grew to fill the gap left by the cessation of legal CFC production and trade. Certain classifications of countries under the Montreal Protocol were not required to phase out CFC production until as late as 2010, making it cheaper for smugglers to illegally import CFCs from developing nations than to illegally produce CFCs in developed countries or rely on oftentimes much more expensive alternative sources (Poole Landers, 1997). The trend of prioritization of the individual’s immediate comfort and ease over the survival of the collective have greatly contributed to the sustenance of the illegal market for chlorofluorocarbons as opposed to less harmful viable alternative refrigerants.
Bibliography:
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): Your Environment, Your Health | National Library of Medicine. (2017, May 31). Retrieved from https://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/chemicals-and-contaminants/chlorofluorocarbons-cfcs
Doniger, D. (2018, July 12). Chilling News: Spotlight on Illegal CFC Production and Use. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/experts/david-doniger/chilling-news-spotlight-illegal-cfc-production-and-use
Graham-Rowe, D. (2005, December 17). Illegal CFCs imperil the ozone layer. Retrieved from https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8475-illegal-cfcs-imperil-the-ozone-layer/
Poole Landers Jr., F. (1997). THE BLACK MARKET TRADE IN CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS: THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL MAKES BANNED REFRIGERANTS A HOT COMMODITY. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1486&context=gjicl.
Walker, L. (2011, December 15). EPA Approves Three Alternative Refrigerants to Replace HFCs. Retrieved from https://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/12/epa-approves-three-alternative-refrigerants-to-replace-hfcs/
