After being scientifically proven to contribute to ozone layer depletion above the earth, CFCs – which are regarded as a greenhouse gas – gradually began to be phased out under an EU directive from 1997 onwards. Nowadays CFCs are only permitted under medicinal practices but were once common place in products that were mass produced and found in the home.

Aerosol sprays, in particular, were almost seen as the poster boy for anti-CFC campaigns. Despite aerosols manufacturers in the UK stopping the use of CFC gas in their product in 1989, many companies outside of the country continued to do so. CFC products have been banned in the UK altogether since 2000. CFCs were easily replaced in aerosol sprays with liquefied gas such as butane or a combination of carbon dioxide and air which have fewer – if any – negative effects on the environment.

CFCs were also commonly used in air conditioning units. Due to their low chemical reactivity properties, CFCs were initially popular among air conditioning manufacturers; particularly in large scale operations used to chill factories, schools and office buildings. Since the late 80s however, commercial air conditioners have begun the transition to environmentally friendly compounds which have also proven to be much more efficient and cost effective in comparison to CFC equivalents.

Possibly the most common use of CFCs to be found in the home was the incorporation of the gas into refrigerator units. CFCs were particularly useful during the chilling process since the CFC started out as a liquid, before being pushed through a system of coils where it turned into a vapour and absorbed residual heat; chilling the coils and the entire machine in the process. Since CFCs were deemed harmful to the environment, today’s domestic and industrial chiller rentals use another gas called HFC-134a which is a much more