Freon facts for kids
Freon is a special word for a group of chemical compounds. These chemicals are often used as refrigerants, which means they help things stay cool, like in your refrigerator or air conditioner.
An inventor named Thomas Midgley, Jr. was the first to use Freon as a refrigerant. The name "Freon" is a trademark owned by a company called DuPont.
At first, "Freon" was used to describe chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. But now, the name is used for many other kinds of chemicals that also work as refrigerants. These chemicals can contain elements like carbon, chlorine, fluorine, and sometimes bromine. For example, a chemical called Freon 10 is actually carbon tetrachloride.
Many types of Freon are not harmful to animals. They are also cheap to make and work very well for cooling.
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How Freon Affects Our Planet
Even though Freon is good at cooling, most refrigerants can harm the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. The ozone layer is like Earth's natural sunscreen. It protects us from too much ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun.
When the ozone layer gets thinner, more UV light can reach the Earth's surface. Too much UV light can cause problems for people, like skin cancer and cataracts (a problem with your eyes). It can also harm tiny ocean plants called plankton, which are important for the ocean's food chain.
Freon and the Ozone Layer
The chlorine found in CFC refrigerants is the main reason they damage the ozone layer. Other chemicals called hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) can also harm the ozone.
Newer types of refrigerants, called Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), do not have chlorine. This means they do not damage the ozone layer.
Freon and Global Warming
Most refrigerants also contribute to global warming. They are very strong greenhouse gases. This means they trap heat in the atmosphere much more effectively than carbon dioxide (CO2), sometimes thousands of times more. This extra trapped heat causes the Earth's temperature to rise.
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See also
In Spanish: Freón para niños
