Saving The Planet: Aerosol Technology Evolves Again

Upon hearing the news, the aerosol industry immediately began to find new chemicals to use as propellants, replacing the dangerous CFCs. By 1978, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially banned the use of CFCs in consumer aerosol products, most had already been CFC-free for several years.

Since then, other countries have followed suit, ceasing the use of CFCs and other Ozone Depleting Chemicals in their consumer and industrial technology. The Montreal Protocol of 1987 was a landmark agreement between 24 countries, each of which agreed to eventually completely discontinue the use of known ODCs.

Some CFCs are still in use, but only out of extreme necessity and when there is no other alternative. For example, some types of asthma inhalers are exempt from the ban until proper alternative propellants can be found. Until then, it is a small price to pay to help asthma patients breathe easy. The overwhelming majority of aerosol technology is now completely CFC-free, and completely environmentally friendly.

So, next time you reach for the bug spray on a summer day, or go to the salon to have your hair styled, remember that the aerosol technology you are benefiting from has been safe for decades.