Now that the battle regarding ozone depleting potential (ODP) refrigerants has ended with the phaseout of CFCs and HCFCs, the fighting has shifted to issues related to the global warming potential (GWP) of the remaining and newly developing refrigerants.

The attention being paid to so-called natural refrigerants is showing a shift toward hydrocarbon refrigerants, even as CO2 gains a stronger foothold and ammonia maintains a high profile. But, whether or not there will be a dominant natural choice remains unclear even in Europe, much less North America.

According to the website www.inhalants.org, one in five students has inhaled a chemical to get high by the eighth grade.

The road to natural refrigerants is a rocky one. There is much talk, but not a lot of action. However, this sector is certainly expanding. 

The importance of ongoing HVACR education involves both the getting and the giving. So there is a need for those who want to learn, and for those who understand that learning didn’t end when they left the high school, college, or vocational school classroom and lab. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is reducing the amount of HCFC-22 that can be produced or imported to 62.8 million pounds in 2013.