2007-03-31 07:12:46 · 11 answers · asked by jemlou81 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Chlorofluro carbons are very stable. They are used as the propellant in inhalers. They do not interact with our body. They are a problem for the ozone layer. The gases in refrigerators and air conditioners needs to be recycled properly. It is now being replaced with a less harmful gas to the ozone.
2007-03-31 14:33:56 · answer #1 · answered by science teacher 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No the are not dangerous if you breath them in. That is the whole reason that cfcs were used in the first place, in normal conditions they are very stable and unreactive. If you were to breath a lot of cfcs and it displaced all the oxygen from the room then you could suffocate, but that can happen with any gas in large enough quantities (well apart from oxygen).
It is the stability of cfcs which helps make them bad for ozone. Carbon chlorine bonds are usually very reactive and do not last long enough to make it high in the atmosphere where they can cause damage.
However a CFC is stable enough that it can make it high up in the atmosphere where it then breaks up and causes damage via free radical processes.
Just on a side note I heard the other day (on the TV quiz QI I think) that the bloke who invented cfcs was the same guy who thought of putting lead in petrol. After he came up with the idea of leaded petrol it was found out that it killed people and he understandably felt pretty bad about it. To make up for it he discovered CFC’s which at the time were thought to be great. Of course we now know they’re not so great .
2007-03-31 23:40:57 · answer #2 · answered by CJ 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Pure chlorofluorocarbons are not supposed to be dangerous to inhale because they are very stable at normal room temperature conditions, and only break down in the extreme conditions high up in the atmosphere where they then react with ozone...
HOWEVER play it safe if you think you might be inhaling some, they could be a mix of CFC's and maybe another refrigerant...that could be dangerous...
2007-03-31 07:33:16 · answer #3 · answered by Eevaya 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
CFCs are not dangerous to our metabolism or else they would not have been using them in freezers. however, they destroy the ozone layer by reacting with the ozone forming gaps in the ozone layer. thus, dangerous ultraviolet rays reach us, increasing the risk of skin cancer. therefore it is not dangerous if you breathe it but dangerous to the environment and our health indirectly
2007-03-31 21:27:44 · answer #4 · answered by 3lectric_smil3 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Isn't CFC gas the hot air the Jose Mourinho spouts?
2007-03-31 07:23:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Cfcs are not toxic but could cause suffocation simply by displacing all the air - they used to be used in fire extinguishers for this reason.
2007-03-31 12:03:54 · answer #6 · answered by trewornan 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
if at high altitudes where the chlorine can split away from the main carbon chain and form chlorine free radicals-yes they are. It is this chlorine free radical which causes all of the damage to ozone causing the spliting of ozone into oxygen.
2007-04-02 21:04:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
They're dangerous because they replace the oxygen in your lungs with themselves. Thus you won't be able to breathe.
2007-03-31 07:20:36 · answer #8 · answered by dudara 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
What the matter? Run out of glue?
2007-04-04 05:25:53 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It can kill you if that makes it dangerous it is.
2007-03-31 07:18:16 · answer #10 · answered by jim m 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋