CFC

abbreviation (Environment) Short for chlorofluorocarbon, any of a number of chemical compounds released into the atmosphere through the use of refrigerators, aerosol propellants, etc., and thought to be harmful to the ozone layer. Etymology: The initial letters of the elements which make up the chemical name chlorofluorocarbon: compounds of chlorine, fluorine, and carbon. History and Usage: CFCs have been in use as refrigerants, in aerosols, and in the plastics industry for some decades, but came into the public eye through the discovery that they were being very widely dispersed in the atmosphere and that chlorine atoms derived from them were contributing to ozone depletion. The experimental work showing this to be the case was carried out during the seventies; by the early eighties, environmental groups were trying to publicize the dangers and some governments had taken action to control the use of CFCs, but it was not until the end of the decade that CFC became an almost universally known abbreviation in industrialized countries and manufacturers started to produce large numbers of products labelled CFC-free. If not followed by a number or in a combination such as CFC gases, the term is nearly always used in the plural, since there is a whole class of compounds of similar structure and having similar effects on the ozone layer, although some are more harmful than others. Shoppers are told that meat and eggs are packaged in CFC-free containers. Daily Telegraph 2 May 1989, p. 17 India alone estimates its bill for replacing CFCs over the next 20 years will be ø350 million. Mrs Thatcher said it was essential that all nations joined the process of ridding the world of CFCs otherwise the health of the people of the world and their way of life would suffer. Guardian 28 June 1990, p. 3 Du Pont has...promised to suspend production of ozone-destroying CFCs by 2000. News-Journal (Wilmington) 9 July 1990, section D, p. 1