New Iso Foam Blowing Agent to be Short-Lived

On January 19th the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its proposed regulations for complying with the Copenhagen Amendments to the Montreal Protocol for phase-out of ozone-depleting substances (see EBN,

Vol. 2, No. 1). Under the proposed rules, HCFC-141b (the foaming agent being used by the polyisocyanurate foam insulation industry to replace CFC-11) is to be phased out by the end of 2002, considerably sooner than the 2030 time-line called for under the Copenhagen Amendments. The more rapid phase-out for HCFC-141b is proposed by the United States because the chemical has a higher ozone depletion potential (0.11) than most HCFCs. “The American approach has been a little more specific [than the international agree- ments],” says Jared Blum, Executive Director of the Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association. HCFC-22 (used in home air conditioners and heat pumps) and HCFC-142b (now used in extruded polystyrene) are to have production capped in 2010 with phase-out completed by 2020, according to the January 29 issue of the