Nick+Colangelo

 By Nick Colangelo and Kriste Lazauskas

 [|Chlorofluorocarbons] or [|CFCs] are organic compounds that are made up of chlorine, fluorine, and carbon atoms. They are classified as [|halocarbons], which are compounds that contain carbon atoms and halogen atoms. Chlorofluorocarbons were created in an attempt to remove toxic and flammable substances in aerosol sprays, blowing agents for foams and packing materials, as solvents, and as refrigerants. Although, scientists succeeded in doing so, they created another problem. Chlorofluorocarbons are very dangerous to the [|atmosphere]. In the earth’s lower atmosphere, near its surface, chlorofluorocarbons are very stable and in the high atmosphere chlorofluorocarbons mix uniformly. They do not become dangerous until they are in the earth’s [|stratosphere]. While there, chlorofluorocarbons are highly unstable. They accelerate the reduction of [|ozone]. Ozone is important to the safety of our planet. It is responsible for absorbing 97%-99% of the sun’s high frequency [|ultraviolet light]. This light is very damaging towards the earth. Ultraviolet light causes genetic damage, eye and vision damage, and damage to marine life. Also, it has a clear link to the production of skin cancer. Chlorofluorocarbons were first synthesized in 1928 by [|Thomas Midgley, Jr.]  of General Motors. He created it to be a safer chemical for refrigerators to replace the toxic gases that were in refrigerator of that time, ammonia, methyl chloride, and sulfur dioxide. These gases were causing fatal accidents during the 1920’s. Soon chlorofluorocarbons were being used in the products of Frigidaire, General Motors, and Du Pont. It was not discovered until 1974, by [|Professor F. Sherwood Rowland]  and [|Dr. Mario Molina]  of the University of California, that chlorofluorocarbons were the source of inorganic chlorine in the stratosphere; these chlorine deposits were destroying the ozone in the stratosphere. Chlorofluorocarbons are the most destructive substance to the ozone layer. In 1987, 27 nations signed a global environmental treaty, the [|Montreal Protocol to Reduce Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer] . This stopped the use of chlorofluorocarbons in those nations along with other dangerous substances. Now, chlorofluorocarbons are replaced with [|hydrochlorofluorocarbons] <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: black; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';"> and <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">[|hydrofluorocarbons] <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: black; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">, <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: black; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">which have a short atmospheric lifetime. This causes much less damage to the Ozone Layer. Also, these substances are being used in much shorter supply by manufacturers. Soon <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">chlorofluorocarbons should become obsolete as long as the Montreal Protocol is respected. <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: black; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial;"> **__<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: black; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Watch this fun episode of __**//**__<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: black; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Captain Planet __**//**__<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: black; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> to learn more about Chlorofluorocarbons __**<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: black; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">media type="youtube" key="qYVOw1zihM4" height="364" width="445" <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: black; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';"> Sources <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">"Atmospheric chemistry." __COTF__. 16 Mar. 2009 <http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/ozone/ozatmo1.html>. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">"CFCs and Ozone Depletion." __Center for International Earth Science Information Network__. 16 Mar. 2009 <http://www.ciesin.org/TG/OZ/cfcozn.html>. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">Desonie, Dana. __Biosphere Ecosystems and Biodiversity Loss (Our Fragile Planet)__. New York: Chelsea House Publications, 2007. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">"ESRL Global Monitoring Division - HATS Group." __NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory__. 16 Mar. 2009 <http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/hats/publictn/elkins/cfcs.html>. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">"F.Sherwood Rowland - Autobiography." __Nobelprize.org__. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1995/rowland-autobio.html>. <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #262a2c; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">"Halocarbon (chemical compound) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." __Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia__. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/252975/halocarbon>. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">"HFC - definition of HFC by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia." __Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary__. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/HFC>. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">"Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)." __Atmosphere, Climate & Environment Information Programme__. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae/Global_warming/older/HCFCs.html>. __<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. — Infoplease.com __<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">. 16 Mar. 2009 <http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0812001.html>. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">"Mario Molina - Autobiography." __Nobelprize.org__. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1995/molina-autobio.html>. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">"Montreal Protocol." __Center for International Earth Science Information Network__. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://www.ciesin.org/TG/PI/POLICY/montpro.html>. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">"Ozone Layer." __NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division Home Page__. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/Ozone/ozonelayer.html>. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">Revkin, Andrew. __Global warming understanding the forecast__. New York: Abbeville P, 1992. <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #262a2c; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">"Thomas Midgley Jr. - Ohio History Central - A product of the Ohio Historical Society." __Ohio History Central - An Online Encyclopedia of Ohio History - Ohio Historical Society__. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2661>. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">"UV Radiation." __NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division Home Page__. 23 Mar. 2009 []. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">Nick Colangelo: <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">What Are Chlorofluorocarbons? <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">The Creation Of Chlorofluorocarbons And The Discovery Of Its Damage <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: black; line-height: 200%; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">What Is Being Done To Stop The Affects Of Chlorofluorocarbons ? <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: black; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">Kriste Lazauskas <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">:
 * __<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">What Are Chlorofluorocarbons? __**
 * __<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">The Creation Of Chlorofluorocarbons And The Discovery Of Its Damage __**<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">
 * __<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">What Is Being Done To Stop The Affects Of Chlorofluorocarbons ? __**
 * __<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">Credits __**