Chloroflurocarbons (CFCs) are non-toxic and non-flammable chemicals that contain atoms of carbon, chorine and fluorine. They are used primarily when producing aerosol products like sprays, foams or blowing agents as well as packing materials as refrigerants and solvents. These were used originally as an alternative for more dangerous toxic or flammable refrigerants and solvents used in refrigerators from the late 1800s onward.
While CFCs are inert and relatively safe in our lower atmosphere, they undergo changes when they reach our upper atmosphere or stratosphere, and it is believed to be a major cause of inorganic chlorine in our atmosphere, which in turn, destroys our ozone in the upper atmosphere. This stops ozone from providing protection against harmful ultraviolet radiation and therefore presents a major health hazard.
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