Some homes use air conditioning that rely on gases that damage the environment around them. The Environmental Protection Agency has tried to reduce the use of that gas, HCFC-22, because itgas depletes the ozone layer and contributes to global warming. In order to do so, the agency has set quotas, banned the sale of new air-conditioning units containing the compound, and has promoted recycling of the gas from old machines so it will not be released into the air. The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty that responsible for keeping the gas out of air conditioning systems. Leaks of this gas most often occur in the workplace that deal with discarding equipment that have previously contained the gas because there are no regulations regarding it's recycling. The concentration of HCFC-22 in the atmosphere is 218 parts per trillion, more than double the amount two decades ago, and it gets there in a number of ways. Low-quality or old equipment leaks, and detecting the colorless and odorless gas without pressure-testing devices is difficult. Sometimes the release is intentional, because it costs less. This is leading to a higher concentration of the gas in our environment and no one is attempting to take steps to fixing the problem.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/23/science/earth/air-conditioner-repairs-undermine-coolant-restrictions.html?pagewanted=2&ref=earth
No comments:
Post a Comment