WASHINGTON--A government ban on virtually all aerosol products containing flourocarbons goes into effect Sunday.
The ban marks the end of a two-year program to phase out use of the substance following earlier steps to halt manufacture of non-essential aerosols using the chemical.
Ozone Woes
Flourocarbons are believed to harm the Earth's protective ozone shield. Deodorants, anti-perspirants, hair sprays, colognes, insecticides, spray paints, air fresheners, furniture polishes and household cleaners used flourocarbons widely.
A handful of products classified as essential--and a few that slipped through a loophole in the federal regulations--may remain on the market. But officials say the exempt products constitued only two per cent of sales before the phaseout began.
Store shelves may still hold some banned products next week because no recall has been ordered, and stores may still sell them until existing stocks are exhausted.
Chloroflourocarbon is the chemical name for gases composed of chlorine, fluorine and carbon that have come to be known simply as flourocarbons. The chlorine has been found to deplete the earth's protective umbrella of ozone in the stratosphere, increasing the planet's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet radiation.
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