Sunburn - Mysterious 4 new man-made gases pose threat to ozone layer 2014
Post date: Mar 9, 2014 8:21:35 PM
Lying in the atmosphere, between 15 and 30km
above the surface of the Earth, the ozone layer plays a critical role in blocking harmful UV rays, which cause cancers in humans and reproductive problems in animals.
Three of the gases are CFCs
and one is a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), which can also damage ozone.
"Our research has shown four gases that were not around in the atmosphere at all until the 1960s which suggests they are man-made,"
The four new gases have been identified as CFC-112, CFC112a, CFC-113a, HCFC-133a
CFC-113a has been listed as an "agrochemical intermediate for the manufacture of pyrethroids", a type of insecticide once widely used in agriculture
CFC-113a and HCFC-133a are intermediaries in the production of widely used refrigerants
CFC-112 and 112a may have been used in the production of solvents used to clean electrical components
source: bbc.com