Adverse Effects of Refrigerant or Freon

Electronic appliances with cooling functions, such as refrigerators and air conditioners, both in bedrooms and cars, contain refrigerants.

Yes, household appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners and freezers contain chemicals called fluorinated hydrocarbons. People often refer to this chemical as Freon.

As reported by Medical News Today, Monday (1/3/2021), Freon is a hazardous substance. This virtually odorless and tasteless gas can cause serious symptoms if a person inhales too much at once.

Inhalation of refrigerant in high concentrations or in large quantities can cause death.

If someone suspects they have accidentally inhaled refrigerant, they should be taken to the hospital immediately. If they inhaled a large amount.

Refrigerant poisoning can occur if a person inhales Freon from refrigeration equipment, such as refrigerators and air conditioners. Accidental refrigerant poisoning is rare, but can occur when a person works directly with refrigeration chemicals.

Mild exposure to Freon in a well-ventilated space does not usually have serious consequences, as only a small amount is usually inhaled.

So what exactly do Freon leaks smell like? Here's the explanation.

According to Stan's AC, Freon is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) that helps an air conditioner or refrigerator remove heat from the atmosphere to keep the room or contents inside the refrigerator cool, but it can be harmful to humans if not properly contained.

Freon normally travels through a closed copper coil in an air conditioning unit or refrigerator, but this coil can crack and cause an air conditioning refrigerant leak. A Freon leak will produce an odor somewhere between sweet and chloroform.

Freon leaks can be toxic. If you suspect a Freon leak, talk to a technician who can use a Freon leak detector to fix the problem.

Accidental Freon poisoning is rare. Most cases of poisoning are due to intentional exposure when someone wants to get high or breathes Freon in an enclosed space.

Symptoms of mild to moderate refrigerant poisoning include the following. Headache Irritation of eyes, ears and throat Dizziness Freezing if exposed to Freon or rapidly expanding refrigerant Vomiting Chemical burns to the skin Nausea Coughing

Negative effects of Freon inhalation

Breathing difficulty and irritation

If Freon is inhaled, it causes shortness of breath and swelling of the throat. In addition, it can also cause irritation of the eyes, nose, tongue, loss of vision, stinging of the eyes and burns in the esophagus.

Cardiac disorders

In large quantities, inhalation of Freon causes irregular heartbeat and even death. Another effect is to cause heart problems. Excessive use of Freon AC can cause side effects on the heart. Excessive inhalation of Freon AC can cause myocardial infarction, high blood pressure and normal heart rhythm for blood circulation.

Chlorofluorocarbon poisoning Symptoms of poisoning may include:

• swelling of the throat,
• difficulty breathing,
• severe sore throat,
• loss of vision,
• burning eyes, nose, lips and tongue,
• burning in the esophagus,
• vomiting blood,
• blood in the stool,
• severe abdominal pain,
• abnormal heart rhythm and altered blood circulation.
• Death

The worst consequence of Freon AC is death. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH had reported deaths due to the use of air conditioning. The cause of death is abnormal heart rhythm and asphyxiation due to cooling in a closed room.

Pretty horrible, isn't it? Currently, there are many AC users in Indonesia. In addition to being capable of causing global warming, it turns out that air conditioning Freon also has very terrible side effects. Unfortunately, so far no other compound has been found that can replace the performance of Freon.

In conclusion, it is very important to check the volume of Freon in the air conditioner. Hopefully this article can serve as a reference to reduce the adverse effects of the use of air conditioning.

How to reduce the negative impact of Freon

Open the windows of the house to allow outside air to circulate for air exchange.

If you work in an air-conditioned environment, drinking plenty of water and exercising regularly are recommended.

Although the impact of Freon when accidentally inhaled, but the problem can be prevented by taking measures as mentioned above.

In addition to health, it turns out that the use of Freon also has a negative impact on the environment or nature. So what are the harmful effects of Freon on the environment?

Adverse effects of Freon on the environment

Around 1970, scientists discovered that the use of synthetic refrigerants made from chlorofluorocarbon can damage the Earth's ozone layer.

When released into the atmosphere, Freon (CFCs) is converted into carbon dioxide, which increases the density of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. CFCs also cause the depletion of the Earth's ozone layer, which allows the sun's ultraviolet rays to enter the Earth directly and increase its temperature.

For this reason, the Indonesian government has gradually reduced or restricted the use of CFC Freon and prioritizes the use of non-CFC Freon (HCFC). Because HCFC has less risk to the environment.

In addition, the government's reduction of CFC use is also a form of the government's active support of global warming prevention.

Difference between CFCs and HCFCs

Both CFC and HCFC compounds are useful as refrigerants, but CFCs are not well used because of their serious environmental impact on the environment.

The main difference between CFCs and HCFCs is that CFCs contain only carbon, fluorine and chlorine atoms, while HCFCs contain hydrogen atoms in addition to carbon, fluorine and chlorine atoms.

HCFCs have very little impact on the ozone layer, as they undergo photochemical decomposition before reaching the upper atmosphere. This is an important difference between CFCs and HCFCs.

But according to Permendag No.12 of 2020, they are no longer allowed to be imported in order to protect human health, safety and prevent environmental damage.

So why are there still CFC and HCFC refrigerants? This is because there are still a lot of old equipment still in operation or owned by the people of Indonesia.

It can be said that the existence of CFCs and HCFCs is only for spare parts of refrigerators or old Ac models.

How to distinguish that the refrigeration device whether it is Ac, Refrigerator, Frezer or other refrigeration devices using CFC and HCFC.

How to distinguish it is very easy, because on electronic equipment that are Non CFC / HCFC has been placed a logo as shown below.

Well, if your refrigeration equipment whether Ac, Refrigerator or other refrigeration machines already have the logo, it means it is Non CFC / HCFC which means environmentally friendly. That means you have participated in protecting the environment from the damage caused by CFC and HCFC freons.

That is the whole discussion about the adverse or negative effects of CFC and HCFC freons on health and the environment. Hopefully, knowing the negative effects of the scrubber will make us wiser when using electronuc equipment.

That's all this discussion is hopefully useful and can add insight for us.