Why CFC and HCFC refrigerants are to be replaced?

Yes, they are.

Most refrigerants found in air conditioners, refrigerators, and freezers contain fluorocarbons, and many fluorocarbon compounds contain chlorine. Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants were commonly used in equipment manufactured before 1995. Equipment manufactured before 2010 may use hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerant. Some newer equipment uses hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants, which contain no chlorine.

The Clean Air Act outlines specific refrigerant containment and management practices. Basically, all CFC and HCFC refrigerants must be recovered, recycled, and reclaimed during servicing and repairs. This means relying on an EPA-certified ("section 608 certification") service technician to repair refrigeration systems, because they have equipment to assure that refrigerants are handled as required. Don't do it yourself, and don't haul old equipment to the dump without having the refrigerant recovered first.

The atmospherically benign HFC refrigerants will remain in production, but CFC and HCFC refrigerants will be phased out. Production of CFCs ceased in 1995. HCFC production will cease in 2020 (HCFC-22) or 2030 (HCFC-123). This means that although equipment that uses these refrigerants may operate just fine for 20 or 30 years, new or recycled refrigerant to service it may not be available. Don't buy equipment that uses CFC refrigerants. Consider product life and future availability of refrigerant when considering purchasing equipment that uses HCFC refrigerants. If possible, avoid purchasing equipment that uses HCFCs.

Health Issues: CFCs and HCFCs are lighter than air, so they rise into the stratosphere, where ultraviolet light frees the chlorine. A single chlorine atom can destroy thousands of ozone molecules, thinning the Earth’s protective ozone layer. The ozone layer is important because it moderates the radiation the earth receives from the sun. A thinner ozone layer means more skin cancers and cataracts. Marine and terrestrial plants may be harmed as well.

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There may be, but it's not likely.

Hydraulic fluid containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) was mostly used in high-temperature applications such as die-casting machines. There's a small possibility that hydraulic fluids for elevators or automotive lifts may be contaminated by PCBs, if the fluids haven't been completely flushed and replaced since about 1984, and there's no manufacturer-applied label that states that the fluids are PCB-free.

Monsanto's Pydraul brand accounted for nearly all hydraulic fluids with PCBs in the United States, but they also produced fluids that didn't contain PCBs that had the Pydraul label. If you have a hydraulic system containing pre-1984 fluids of this brand, you should probably check for PCBs. Fluid tests costing about $50 are available through many testing labs.

If hydraulic fluid has more than 0.5% non-dissolved PCB material or more than 50 parts per million total concentration of PCBs, it is considered a hazardous material regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). PCB wastes must be disposed of in a TSCA-compliant incinerator, TSCA/RCRA-compliant chemical waste landfill, or by an EPA-approved alternative method. Arrangements may be made with companies that provide EPA-approved PCB storage for shipment of fluid containing PCBs to an EPA-approved chemical waste processing site.

The TSCA allows machines that used hydraulic fluids with PCBs to be disposed of in a municipal solid waste landfill if they have been drained of all free-flowing liquids. Hydraulic machines that contained PCBs at a concentration greater than 1,000 parts per million must be flushed with a solvent before disposal. The drained liquid and solvents must be disposed of like other PCB wastes.

Health Issues: PCBs can enter the environment through use and disposal. PCBs stay in the body, so effects can get continually worse every time a person is exposed to PCBs. Severe concentrated exposure to PCBs can result in skin lesions, liver damage, or other problems. Lower level exposures are more common, and typically occur through eating contaminated fish, milk, or other foods. Over time, lower exposures may result in thyroid, immune system, and reproductive system problems and cancer. Infants born to mothers that have consumed PCBs may have problems with motor skills, hearing, and brain function.

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No. Fires kill people but smoke detectors don't even irradiate them.

There are no health concerns with photoelectric smoke detectors because no radiation is involved. Photoelectric smoke detectors sound an alarm when smoke particles scatter a beam of light in the detection chamber. They respond quickly to fires with lots of smoke.

Ionization chamber smoke detectors contain a small amount of americium-241, a radioactive material. Smoke particles disrupt the low, steady electrical current produced by radioactive particles and trigger the detector's alarm. They react quickly to fires that give off little smoke. Ionization smoke detectors expose people to a tiny amount of radiation—about 1/100 of a millirem per year. This is well below the background radiation level of about 360 millirems a year. If a smoke detector contains radioactive materials, a printed notice on the packaging will say so.

Because of the long half-life of americium-241, the amount of radioactive material in an ionization chamber smoke detector at the end of its useful life will be about the same as when it was purchased. State and local requirements for disposal of ionization smoke alarms vary. Some States conduct an annual roundup of ionization smoke detectors similar to that for hazardous household chemicals. Others allow ionization smoke detectors to be thrown out with ordinary trash but recommend that used smoke alarms be returned to the supplier. Some States require that used smoke detectors be returned to the supplier. Check with your local solid waste district, hazardous waste program, or health department to find out the procedures in your area. All manufacturers of ionization smoke detectors must accept returns—when in doubt, return the detector. Return addresses are listed in the product warranty or use instructions.

Smoke detector batteries should be disposed of as explained in What should I do with dead batteries?

Health Issues: Radiation can cause cancer and other problems, including defects in unborn children. Radiation produced during normal use of ionization smoke detectors is so low it has no noticeable effect. If the ceramic chamber containing the radioactive material is removed and swallowed, exposure is about six times the desirable yearly exposure—still too low to cause acute health effects.

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The best way to dispose of janitorial and maintenance products that contain hazardous chemicals is to use all of the product for the purpose for which it was purchased. Don't buy more of these materials than you can use in a reasonable length of time. Even better, purchase the least toxic products that will do the job, so that you will have fewer disposal problems and minimize the chance of employee exposure to harmful chemicals.

Dried latex paint in household quantities is not a hazardous waste. If you have a couple of gallons of latex paint you absolutely can't use, take the lid off, let it completely solidify, and dispose of it with ordinary trash.

Most Forest Service units are very small quantity generators (formerly called "conditionally exempt small quantity generators") that

• produce no more than 220 pounds (about 25 gallons) of hazardous waste and no more than 2.2 pounds (less than a quart) of acutely hazardous waste in any calendar month
• never accumulate more than 2200 pounds of hazardous waste and/or 2.2 pounds of acutely hazardous waste onsite at one time.

There are specific requirements for record keeping, transportation, and disposal of hazardous wastes. An EPA identification number may be needed by some conditionally exempt small quantity generators because of state or transporter requirements.

More information about very small quantity generators is available online from Environmental Health & Safety Online. The “Everyday Hazmat User's Training Guide” explains the requirements for using, storing, transporting, and disposing of hazardous janitorial products. The Missoula Technology & Development Center's Everyday Hazmat(Optional link for FSweb users) Web site is also a good source of information about managing your hazardous materials effectively