CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) are halocarbons containing Carbon, Chlorine and Fluorine. They are non-toxic and non-flammable, and were in the past used in the manufacture of aerosol sprays, blowing agents for foam and packing materials, as solvents, as a cleanser for electronic components and as refrigerants.
CFCs were first synthesised in 1928 by Thomas Midgley Jr. as safer chemicals for refrigerants. At this point, CFCs were a far safer option than the alternatives, such as ammonia, methyl chloride and sulphur dioxide, which caused a series of fatal accidents in the 1920s due to these chemicals leaking out. It then became the main coolant in automobile air conditioners. By the early 1970s, industry used about a million tons a year.
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