Frequency and Detrimental Effects of Refrigerant Leakage inApartment Complexes
Aaron Waldorf and Eric KightleyDepartment of Evolution and Ecology, the Ohio State University, Columbus OH1 June, 2007
Abstract
Current research in the field of aerobiology suggests that the release of chlorofluorocarbons(CFC’s) into the earth’s atmosphere results in free-radical oxidation of ozone. Alternativerefrigerants (eg. HFC-134a) are non-oxidizing, but contribute to the greenhouse effect. Theglobal contribution to climate change of these coolants will match that of motorized vehicles by2050. In this review we summarize one mechanism by which these pollutants escape into thestratosphere; through common air conditioning units. Leakage during servicing, filling, and useallow for these compounds to escape into the atmosphere. We show that, under certaincircumstances, the personal use of air conditioning within an apartment unit is individually anddirectly contributing to the release of these harmful gases,
relative to the use of the unit
, and thusis environmentally unsustainable. Preliminary data suggest that these circumstances are presentfor a specific apartment complex – namely, the one we live in.
Introduction
Almost all of what we would like to describe as consumer culture has occurred within the lastone hundred years in the United States. Starting with the creation of middle class wealth, thedesire for consumer products has grown without limit and now defines our very lives. Of thesecreature comforts, many of them contribute to an overall greater problem of globalenvironmental alteration. Whether through emissions, pollution, mining, logging, or over hunting, these products have created a negative impact on our planet’s biosphere. Whenfocusing on the condition of the earth’s atmosphere, several culprits come up as vandals of theair. In light of the current attention given to climate change, a discussion of a potentialcontributor to this phenomenon is pertinent. We all know the common ones – cars, coal plants,large grazing fields – but what about air conditioning? Ever since its invention in the 1930s
, a/chas been keeping people cool in areas where mugginess was the norm. It wasn’t long; however,until we realized that all the comfort we were experiencing was coming at quite a detriment toecological health. Since then, we have tried a variety of refrigerant methods so that we mighthave our cake and eat it too, but so far this has proven elusive. This has not slowed our usage of air conditioning, however.
Detrimental Effects of Air Conditioning
Common refrigerant usage in the United States employs compounds called chlorofluorocarbons,or CFCs. These compounds consist of at least one carbon, fluorine, and chlorine atom, but oftentimes more of each. Used in both refrigeration and air conditioning, they comprise the majorityof coolants used in the world. In 1973, and expedition by Lovelock into the earth’s polesrevealed that CFCs were collecting in the atmosphere, most prominently in those locations
.Later, scientists Sherry Rowland and Mario Molina confirmed that the presence of these gaseous
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