New Concerns About HFC-134a

Just as certain segments of the HVAC and insulation industries have begun a widespread shift to the ozone-safe, chlorine-free hydrofluorocarbon HFC-134a, new environmental concerns have been raised about this compound. Researchers at the Cambridge, Massachusetts firm Atmospheric and Environmental Research suggested in a paper in the 27 July issue of the journal

Nature that HFC-134a could damage wetlands and plant growth. This compound, along with other CFC replacements HCFC-123 and HCFC-124, produce trifluoroacetate (TFA) through atmospheric degradation. TFA, in turn, dissolves in rainwater and falls to the ground where it is highly resistant to biological or physical degradation.