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        • The Effect of Prozac on the Brain
        • Philae Lander's Discovery of Organic Molecules
        • Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Turbines
        • Your Own Worst Enemy: An Overview of Lupus
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        • Morphological Properties of Texting Acronym Formation
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    • 2013 Publication

SMUGGLING AND BLACK MARKET TRADING OF CFC'S

Editor’s Note: In her Organic Chemistry class, Eve Berrie (‘18) looked at the negative effects of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) on the environment.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are organic gaseous compounds that are used as refrigerants, cleaning solvents, and aerosol propellants, but are also found to be a major cause of ozone depletion. They were seen as the “perfect refrigerants” in the 1930s because they had all the requirements of a refrigerant while also being stable, nonflammable, nontoxic, inexpensive, and nearly odorless. Although, in 1987, many developed countries signed the Montreal Protocol because it had been discovered that the CFC molecule was in fact harming the ozone layer, a “shield” of O3 molecules that protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet rays. The chlorine atoms from the CFCs act as a catalyst and cause the breaking down of the ozone to happen at a faster rate. The chlorine also isn’t consumed, meaning it acts as a catalyst many times before it’s deactivated. When people noticed a “hole” in the ozone layer above the South Pole, they began to realize how serious, and global, this problem had become. Unfortunately, 27 years after the protocol, CFC use continues as it is cheap and uses less energy than its alternatives.
The smuggling and black market trading of CFCs continues to be an issue, despite evidence of its negative impacts on the environment. The Montreal Treaty stated that developed countries should have completely phased out CFCs by 1996. Today, the U.S. doesn’t allow the making or importing of CFCs, but it does allow the sale or use of CFCs made before 1996. [1] This loophole has led to a growing global black market. By using “recycled” CFCs, smugglers are able to pass them through repair shops, specifically within the automobile business. Using a CFC alternative for a car’s air-conditioning can cost up to 15 times the price of using CFCs. This major price gaps creates a market that is said to be larger, and maybe even more damaging, than the illegal gun trade. [2] A major problem is the ease with which CFCs can be smuggled. Alternatives are pricey, and countries such as Russia have even refused to halt their production of the dangerous compounds. More than half of the CFCs produced there entered the European Union illegally in 1996, making Russia a main source of CFC trade. [2] Despite the large black market, there are many efforts to reduce the use of the chemical and to use alternatives.
International regulation efforts around CFCs and use of their alternatives are becoming more prominent. Since the Montreal Protocol in 1987, there have been multiple amendments throughout various developed countries to further phase out CFCs as well as other “controlled substances” (i.e. HCFCs, methyl bromide, and bromochloromethane). In order to implement the protocol, agencies within the U.S. work with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Different assessment panels are dedicated to spreading information about the alternative technologies/compounds that are used, making it possible to completely phase out ozone depleting substances. [3] The smuggling or possession of illegal CFCs within the U.S. can lead to severe penalties as it is breaking the law. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for example, works to investigate subjects of CFC smuggling and have convicted many of buying or selling the illegal compound over the last couple decades. [4] While the smuggling and black market of CFCs is still a prominent global issue, viable alternatives for the compound are continually being produced as environmentalists work to phase out the destructive chemical compound.
Works Cited
1. "CFC Smuggling (CFCTRADE Case)." CFC Illegal Trade. N.p., 6 May 1996. Web. 26
Feb. 2017. <http://www1.american.edu/projects/mandala/TED/cfctrade.htm>.
2. Arnst, Catherine. "The Black Market Vs. The Ozone." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 07
July 1997. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/1997-07-06/the-black-market-vs-dot-the-ozone
3. "International Treaties and Cooperation." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 17
Jan. 2017. Web. 26 Feb. 2017. <https://www.epa.gov/ozone-layer-protection/international-treaties-and-cooperation>.
4. "Ozone-Depleting Substances on the Black Market." EPA. Environmental Protection
Agency, 12 Dec. 2016. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.
<https://www.epa.gov/ozone-layer-protection/ozone-depleting-substances-black-
market>.
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  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • HOW TO SUBMIT
  • Past Publications
    • 2019 Publication >
      • Scientific Research
      • Mathematical Exploration
      • Scientific Exploration
      • Computer Science
    • 2018 Publication >
      • Artistic Creations
      • Historical and Current Explanations
      • Mathematic and Scientific Exploration
      • Scientific Research
    • 2017 Publication >
      • Artistic Creations
      • Historical and Current Explanations
      • Mathematic and Scientific Exploration
      • Reactions and Responses
      • Scientific Research
    • 2016 Publication >
      • Historical and Current Explanations
      • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations
      • Scientific Research
      • Reactions and Responses
      • Artistic Creations
    • 2015 Publication >
      • Historical and Current Explanations >
        • Bell Curves
        • Birds Vs. Turbines
        • Energy in the Obama Era
        • The Future of Neuroscience
        • Gender Gap in Math
        • GMOs--Yes or No?
        • The History of Minecraft: How a Swedish Indie Game Came to Dominate the World
        • The Effect of Prozac on the Brain
        • Philae Lander's Discovery of Organic Molecules
        • Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Turbines
        • Your Own Worst Enemy: An Overview of Lupus
        • The Methylhex Ban
        • The Effect of Lyme Disease on the Immune system
        • Infectious Mononucleosis
        • Replacing CFCs
        • The Switch
      • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations >
        • The 43rd Figure
        • The Clock
        • The Collatz Conjecture
        • Constructing a Soccer Ball
        • Determining how Ballparks Affect Batter's Ability to Create Hits
        • The Rotating Conundrum
        • Pythagorean Puzzle
        • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations
        • Kinetics Lab
        • Math in the Restaurant Business
        • Math as a Vessel for Social Change
        • Sustainability of Bottled Vs. Tap Water
        • Thoughts on the Lottery
        • Understanding Player Efficiency Rating
      • Scientific Research >
        • Communicating With Computers
        • The Mystery of Asthma
        • The Nanoscopic War Against Cancer
        • Phytochemistry
        • Solving the energy crisis with Intermediate Band Solar Cells
        • A Pain That Never Ends
        • Rapamycin Resistance
        • Ampacity of a Single Core Horizontal Cable
        • Morphological Properties of Texting Acronym Formation
        • cGAS and STING Expression
      • Reactions and Responses >
        • Can Humans Survive the Climate Crisis?
        • My Experience as a Teacher's Assistant
        • Ted Talk Responses
        • Teens For Food Justice
      • Artistic Creations >
        • Chandelier
        • Deltoidal Hexacontrahedon
        • Dodecahedron Card Trick
        • Eye of the Triangle
        • Free Radric Delantic Davis
        • The Grid
        • What Does A Randomly Composed Song Sound Like?
        • Science Wing Mural
    • 2014 Publication >
      • Cover Photo
      • Artistic Creations >
        • Art Using the Fibonacci Sequence
        • Computer Generated Architecture and Designs
        • Mathematical Landscape
        • Math Art
        • Math in Music
      • Historical and Current Explanations >
        • Algae Bio-Fuel
        • An Energy Alternative
        • Clean Energy In Transportation
        • Calorie Restriction
        • Creating Energy in the Modern World
        • Dietary Intervention Impact on Gut Microbial Gene Richness
        • Earthly Applications for NASA Technology
        • Explaining Relative Motion
        • Exploring Artificial Inteligence
        • Gamma Function
        • How Leaves Work
        • Hydrogen Fuel Cells
        • Music and Brain Development
        • Programming Calculators
        • The Science of Microsatellites
        • Sci-Fi Taser
        • Sloane's Gap
        • Sustainable Energy: Why Some Ideas Shine Brighter than Others
        • Understanding The Galvanic Cell
        • The Virus: Our Unforeseen Philosopher's Stone
        • What Are Fuel Cells and How Do They Work?
      • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations >
        • Astrocytes Expressing ALS-Linked Mutated SOD1 Release Factors Selectively Toxic to Motor Neurons
        • Big Bang
        • Dictyostelium Discoideum
        • The Future of Solar Cell Technology
        • And Many More...
      • Reactions and Responses >
        • Alternative Energy Sources, New but Unused
        • An Insight Into the Curious World of Ethnobotany
        • Challenging What We Think We Know
        • The Current State of American Education
        • Discovering New Numbers
        • Interview With an Architect
        • Life of Pi Response
        • Mathematical Art Video Commentary
        • Missing from Science Class
        • The Museum of Math
        • The Inside Scoop on a Real Mathematician
    • 2013 Publication