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Scientists Race To Find Who is Pumping a Dangerous Gas Into the Atmosphere (theoutline.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: When the research was published in Nature on May 16, it was like a bomb dropped. A greenhouse gas is billowing into the atmosphere from a source somewhere in East Asia that no one can identify at a rate scientists have never before seen, and it's ignited a scientific dash to get to the bottom of it. All countries are supposed to comply with the rules laid out in the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which banned the production of CFCs -- chlorofluorocarbons, which deplete the ozone layer and contribute to global warming -- with only temporary exception of a few economically developing countries. If everyone fulfills their end of the deal, the amount of CFCs in the atmosphere should gradually wane over the course of several decades. CFC levels plummeted through the 1990s, and then stagnated between 2002 and 2005. But in in 2014, mysterious toxic plumes of CFC-11 -- a type of CFC -- began to drift across the Pacific Ocean. Stephen Montzaka, a chemist who studies and monitors CFCs for The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), was shocked.

208 of 355 comments (clear)

  1. China by ickleberry · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Without a doubt. The only problem is how to pin it to them. The political will also isn't there to pin it to them - too much money changes hands in the West on the back of Chinese goods being traded and we've become far too dependent on the Chinese for trinkets and future ewaste.

    1. Re:China by ravenshrike · · Score: 1

      Now now, it is entirely possible it's India as well. Or a sooper sekrit dastardly plan whipped up by the Russians.

    2. Re:China by phantomfive · · Score: 2

      Not Thailand? Or Vietnam? Or Indonesia? There are so many possibilities.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    3. Re:China by Carewolf · · Score: 3, Informative

      Look at the map. The plume is the densest over Hawaii and spreads east from there, there is very little west of it. I had no idea Hawaii was classified as East Asia though..

    4. Re:China by Megol · · Score: 1

      China as a state? Unlikely.
      Someone _in_ China not following the laws to earn more? Pretty damn likely.

      Observe the difference between the two choices.

    5. Re: China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      China is actually greener than the United States per capita..... way greener..... just that they have a lot more people. If you believe all humans are created equal then US citizens are more culpable than China... and US is supposed to be further down the development path with less polluting industries.

      That said equality isnâ(TM)t a core ideology of confederacy which is essentially the government in power today.... sad that the confederates lost but simply won the election.... SAD

    6. Re:China by HornWumpus · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What % of heavy Chinese industry does the Chinese communist party (aka the Chinese government) own? Hint: It's not 0.

      Add the % of heavy Chinese industry owned by family members of the Chinese central committee and you are closing in on 100%.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    7. Re: China by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

      Yes, generally the poorer the country the less CO2. Rich people consume more of just about everything.

    8. Re: China by Sperbels · · Score: 2

      Lies. The more money I make the less ramen and mac&cheese I consume. Checkmate socialists.

    9. Re:China by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      That settles it. Probably a bunch of Republicans doing it to "own the libs".

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    10. Re:China by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      Also: List is woefully incomplete...Wikipedia, what can you say? I know for a fact that NORINCO (chinese weapons maker) is owned by the Chinese communist party, it's not on the list. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      That list apparently doesn't include CP China's holdings and certainly doesn't list the holdings of central committee members families.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    11. Re:China by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Without a doubt.

      Cool story, thanks for you insight. I mean we all know the rest of south east Asia is a shining example of cleanliness and responsible environmentalism.

      I mean you may be right, China is big and has a high population so statistically it could be them. But you didn't use statistics to make your decision, only bias.

    12. Re: China by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

      So you starve to death? Or maybe eat something else instead? You probably eat more meat...Checkmate idiot

    13. Re: China by Izuzan · · Score: 1

      There is also a large portion of china that produces negligible CO2 as they are small farmers with no vehicles and very little power.

    14. Re:China by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Correction: NORINCO is owned by the Chinese army. Still not on the list, so basic point remains true.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    15. Re: China by ClickOnThis · · Score: 2

      Your link is broken. Here, let me fix it for you.

      As others have pointed out on this thread, China is the largest emitter of CO2. However, it ranks pretty much in the middle per capita. The USA, Australia, and various middle-eastern oil-rich countries are the worst offenders.

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    16. Re:China by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Informative

      I wonder if the volcanic activity in Hawaii might be related....

      I don't think so. Volcanoes don't emit CFCs, and the plume starts further west.

      If you look at the map in TFA, the strongest concentration is near Johnston Atoll, where the US stored and processed chemical weapons.

    17. Re:China by Megol · · Score: 1

      Are you stupid? Are you aware that not are there a lot of non-govermental non-supported non-controlled corporations in China? Many that are shut down by Chinese government for abusing laws and regulations?

    18. Re:China by rogoshen1 · · Score: 1

      How else would you explain snow in HAWAII? Clearly it's an elaborate plan to lure skiiers to a tropical paradise.

    19. Re:China by DigiShaman · · Score: 1

      I don't think so. Volcanoes don't emit CFCs, and the plume starts further west.

      How many homes have been burned down due to the lava flows? Once the AC compressor melts from lava, that could have vented all the coolant to atmosphere.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    20. Re:China by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      I mean last I checked they dont have AC installed in killuea.

      How many house air conditioners would have to melt to explain this? More or fewer than actually have melted?

      But in all seriousness, freon-11 actually is found in volcanic outgassing.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    21. Re: China by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      Are they the ones repressing the Native Hawaiians? I knew there was a reason that was a nation liberation movement we aee encouraged to not take seriously.

    22. Re: China by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      Probably to make boner pills, like they do with the powdered endangered species.

    23. Re:China by denzacar · · Score: 1

      Are you stupid? Are you aware that not are there a lot of non-govermental non-supported non-controlled corporations in China?

      Maybe. I sure feel like I am after reading that.

      --
      Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
    24. Re:China by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      How many homes have been burned down due to the lava flows?

      Rounded to the nearest hundred, the number is zero.

      Map of Hawaii lava flow: Hype vs reality

    25. Re:China by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      can anyone explain how a source in east Asia can concentrate itself just off the coast of Hawaii, 1000 times higher than it is elsewhere in the pacific?

      I can't think of any logical reason. But I can think of an illogical reason: Because that is where the sensors are.

    26. Re:China by Megol · · Score: 1

      non-govermental: not created nor controlled by the Chinese communist government.
      non-supported: not an external group with extra support from the Chinese government, that is not above that given to all free enterprises.
      non-controlled: not in any way controlled by the Chinese government above that of law enforcement.

      It's very unlikely that an entity under control of the Chinese government is the culprit, this would make them lose face and be seen as unreliable when it comes to international agreements.

      Very likely that someone in China it the culprit though, the country is huge, law enforcement spotty. Corruption is still high even with active campaigns to eliminate it.
      It have a mixture of communist ideas and anything-goes capitalism. That people can do anything to make a fast buck have been illustrated in the news: counterfeit parts including safety critical ones for passenger airplanes, lacing of baby milk products with poison etc.

    27. Re:China by Reziac · · Score: 2

      Like, maybe....

      http://cfc.geologist-1011.net/

      Volcanic Halocarbons: Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in Volcanic Emissions
      Abstract
      "Although commonly regarded as not naturally occuring, halocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) do occur naturally and are emitted from volcanoes."

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    28. Re: China by LinuxLuver · · Score: 1

      China 'own' many major political parties in Western countries. Look at Trudeau's Liberals in Canada paying $4.5 billion for an old pipeline to secure a push for a new pipeline (another $.6.9 billion) so oil from Chinese-backed companies in Alberta can get to the Pacific. The politics of that move are insane. But Trudeau has no choice. He's owned.

      --
      Only boring people are ever bored.
    29. Re:China by SandWyrm · · Score: 1

      The monitoring station is in Hawaii. The map shows nothing between Hawaii and Asia because there are no monitoring stations in-between. RTFA and you'll see that there are four major monitoring stations that form a roughly north-south line, and are roughly equidistant from each other.

    30. Re:China by AnilJ · · Score: 1

      India is not part of far east. It is part of the Indian subcontinent (the new term from SDOTUS is "South Asia").

  2. Someone is doing by AHuxley · · Score: 4, Interesting

    some quick old style enrichment of uranium and the CFC is the tell? Should have studied more and not released the one product the world still looks into.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    1. Re:Someone is doing by Rhipf · · Score: 5, Insightful

      From my quick checking it looks like uranium enrichment releases CFC 114. The CFC detected here is CFC 11. So unless there is a process of enrichment that releases CFC 11 that I didn't stumble upon it looks like this isn't due to uranium enrichment.

    2. Re:Someone is doing by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      American uranium enrichment releases 114. It's one of the allowed exceptions.

      There might be other processes.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    3. Re:Someone is doing by ChumpusRex2003 · · Score: 1

      It used to be. CFC-114 is used as a coolant for gaseous diffusion enrichment; it operates in a thermosiphon system carrying heat from exchangers in contact with UF6, to cold water tanks at higher elevation. It has the advantage that it does not absorb moisture and does not react with UF6, so that leaks would not result in dangerous reactions taking place (the most serious being transfer of moisture into the UF6). However, there are now HFC or HFO alternatives which could be used, although there is little need for them.

      Gaseous diffusion enrichment is obsolete in most countries, due to the vast energy requirements, and huge capital costs. The US has closed all its gaseous diffusion plants. France is the only country still using the process on any scale (achievable as they have copious nuclear power to power the plant, and never developed centrifuge technology).

  3. I'm not saying by ArhcAngel · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm not saying it's aliens...But it's aliens! (The extra-terrestrial kind not the undocumented immigrant kind) They are terraforming the planet for their impending invasion.

    --
    "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
    1. Re:I'm not saying by TomGreenhaw · · Score: 1

      You have the making of a good book here...

      Aliens come to earth and say "Wow, nice planet. We just need to get rid of that many humans. Let's leak some stupid technologyies like burning fossil fuels, fission of heavy elements, toxic pesticides and herbicides and maybe some dangerous CFC chemistry. Maybe we'll also sprinkle in some flawed ideologies like nationalism and racism in order to trigger infighting. By the time they realize their errors it will be too late for them. When the colony ships arrive, we'll just pay off the few remaining insane politicians to pass and enforce laws to get out of our way."

      --
      Greed is the root of all evil.
    2. Re: I'm not saying by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      Your "Reptilian Masters" wanting a warmer, wetter Earth... would actually explain a few things. ;)

    3. Re: I'm not saying by XXongo · · Score: 2

      Reptiles aren't slimy. You're thinking of amphibians.

      Or maybe eels-- you're thinking of eels.

    4. Re:I'm not saying by SuiteSisterMary · · Score: 1

      The alien equivalent of smallpox blankets?

      --
      Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
    5. Re:I'm not saying by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

      I'm not saying it's aliens...But it's aliens! (The extra-terrestrial kind not the undocumented immigrant kind) They are terraforming the planet for their impending invasion.

      Stop worrying. Donald Trump will build a force-field and make the aliens pay for it.

      A beautiful force-field. Really classy. Lots of marble.

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
  4. Re:The usual suspects by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wow, that narrows it down to only three billion people! Great detective work.

  5. Does Charlie Sheen know? by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 1

    First the NOAA satellite has a cooling issue and not gas that's contributing to global warming is being pumped into the atmosphere. We better get Charlie Sheen to Arecibo.

    1. Re:Does Charlie Sheen know? by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      lol.
      Yeah, I thought of the same film. Only now, he needs to go to China, where 1/3 to 1/2 of co2 alone comes from.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    2. Re:Does Charlie Sheen know? by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

      Or he could visit WindBourne where 3/4 of all lies on here come from.

    3. Re:Does Charlie Sheen know? by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

      Slight exaggeration, not a lie ;)

    4. Re:Does Charlie Sheen know? by anvilmark · · Score: 1

      Dammit. I never have mod points when I need them. Take a virtual +1

  6. find them by Evtim · · Score: 1

    and throw the book on them!

    Thanks,
    The world

  7. Environmental capital. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If we're going to get a handle on the environmentally destructive nature of capitalism then we're going to have to legislate that environmental capital be a real thing in all UN nations. That is that when you pollute the environment that you are held financially accountable for the costs required to remove it from the environment.

    This tragedy of the commons has been going on far too long.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:Environmental capital. by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Read up on marketable torts or watch a David Freidman lecture on the topic. Icelanders had this figured out a thousand years ago but the Church's systems of government got rid of it when they took over. What you erroneously describe as a failure of capitalism is actually a failure to select good systems of governance.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    2. Re:Environmental capital. by HornWumpus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Check the history of eastern Europe and the USSR. Capitalism is fucking clean in comparison. All you have is a theory, Capitalism has history.

      Also: Fuck no. The UN is not sovereign. The general assembly are a bunch of self serving, corrupt clowns. Not just no, FUCK NO!

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    3. Re:Environmental capital. by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

      Never get passed, Americans have veto power and are totally dependent on producing way way more CO2 per person than just about everyone.

    4. Re:Environmental capital. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Your copious use of the word fuck has persuaded me your side. Well done, fucker.

    5. Re:Environmental capital. by skaralic · · Score: 1

      BBC had a good article about the Aral Sea and what was done there in the Soviet days: http://www.bbc.com/news/busine... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... I think that you will find that, on the balance of it, *democratic* capitalist countries are the cleanest. And yes, they can improve and are improving slowly and surely because consumers put pressure to companies to clean up their act. You get what you want and [more importantly] what you are willing to pay for...

    6. Re:Environmental capital. by Khashishi · · Score: 1

      Well, quite a typical feature of Capitalism is that the governance is captured by corporations. I'm not sure what fairy tale capitalism you were thinking of.

    7. Re:Environmental capital. by jwhyche · · Score: 2

      Nice spin. Let me toss you one out there too.

      https://www.ucsusa.org/global-...

      --
      I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
    8. Re:Environmental capital. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Why? Ignoring them is just fine. The general assembly has no power by design. Damn good thing.

      You can call anybody anything you want. That's how we'll get four more years of Trump. Good job!

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    9. Re:Environmental capital. by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1

      Americans... are totally dependent on producing way way more CO2 per person than just about everyone.

      I've highlighted the part you ignored.

    10. Re:Environmental capital. by jwhyche · · Score: 3

      An I'm still waiting for someone to tell my why its important that we know how much is made per person. An to explain why the total a country produces as a whole doesn't matter.

      China dumps more green house gasses in the environment as a whole than any other country. By some studies, twice as much. And every study agrees that this is only going to go up.

      It doesn't matter how much one person emits. What matters is the total fucking amount emitted by every one.

      --
      I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
    11. Re:Environmental capital. by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1

      Because reductions in output are generally going to be proportional to the number of people. If there's an increase in the efficiency of automobile engines, HVAC units, or light bulbs, the total reduction in CO2 emissions will be greater for the country where 500 million people use the more efficient versions than for the country where 100 million people use the more efficient versions.

      Of course, CO2 isn't exactly proportional to population, and the current levels of technology are different for different countries, and there are plenty of other factors. You can't judge situations entirely by the per capita numbers, but you didn't make a reasoned counterargument, you simply accused the other person of lying by omitting part of their statement.

    12. Re:Environmental capital. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Well, China, like the US is only 1/2 a percent of the number of countries in the world. However, if you are Chinese you represent 20% of the people in the world.
      Why am I explaining statistical theory to a moron who thinks that adding a swear word makes his argument more valid? Would you be happier if Lichtenstein produced as much industrial waste as China?

      Besides, nobody made the argument "why the total a country produces as a whole doesn't matter."
      Are you really this stupid?

    13. Re:Environmental capital. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 2

      Check the history of eastern Europe and the USSR. Capitalism is fucking clean in comparison. All you have is a theory, Capitalism has history.

      A) I'm not speaking about doing away with capitalism, you nitwit.
      B) I'm implying we need regulation because capitalism by definition is not under the direct control of the government.
      C) Not sure what your issue is with the UN because you have yet to make a point.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    14. Re:Environmental capital. by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

      You're an idiot. How about adding an extra billion people to America and see if the CO2 there goes up...

      You already use more coal powered electricity per person than China, and older less efficient coal as well. So it's not going to turn out good for you.

    15. Re:Environmental capital. by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

      Because stupid people like you, and those who modded you up, need to know who the real problem is.

      It doesn't matter how much 1 person emits as long as that person is American right? What an entitled asshole you must be.

      The total amount can only be from the amounts each person generates. And if you generate twice a Chinese person 10x an Indian person or 100x most Africans then yes the problem is clearly you and people like you. Even more so because you are too stupid to even realise it's you.

    16. Re:Environmental capital. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      You only want to give the UN power to 'smash capitalism' via arbitrary taxes, but your not against capitalism. Bullshit! Take you watermelon (green on the outside, red on the inside) approach elsewhere.

      The day the UN gets the power to levy taxes is the day it ENDS. No sane nation would put up with that. UN would be homeless.

      If you haven't been paying attention to the bullshit that regularly comes out of the UN general assembly, I don't know that I can say anything. 'Willful ignorance' and all. The UN GA has been angling for taxes on success, to send money to the corrupt, for decades.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    17. Re:Environmental capital. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      You only want to give the UN power to 'smash capitalism' via arbitrary taxes, but your not against capitalism

      A) It would effect all economies, just capitalism which thrives on pollution would be hit hardest.
      B) The tax wouldn't be arbitrary, it's the same cost as cleaning up the pollution.

      Bullshit! Take you watermelon (green on the outside, red on the inside) approach elsewhere.

      Your behavior on slashdot has been consistent with someone with untreated mental illness.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    18. Re:Environmental capital. by jwhyche · · Score: 2

      You should stop being jealous of people who are smarter than you and get modded up more than you do.

      No, the total amount we need to worry about is by country. You want to know why? Do you? Let me make sure I use small words so you can understand.

      We are still divided along tribal lines. Which means any laws that need to be passed will need to be passed at the government level. To control the problem we have to work on that level.

      Now do you understand? Probably not.

      --
      I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
    19. Re:Environmental capital. by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

      Haha, that's certainly not you.
      The problem is people, all the way down.

    20. Re:Environmental capital. by jwhyche · · Score: 2

      I have a question. I'm sure this will be modded off topic, an that is fine. As you pointed out I have more than enough karma to cover it.

      When did you become such a fool? I don't mean idiot or moron, but I mean a fool. There is a difference but most people tend to ignore them. One can be reasonably smart, such as yourself, an still be a fool.

      I'm sure you will try to turn this back on me some how, an that will be fine. But I remember some of your earlier posts and they seemed well reasoned, thought out, and level headed. But now you seem more like a babbling fool trying to get attention anyway you can. What changed?

      --
      I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
    21. Re:Environmental capital. by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

      The word you're looking for is 'and'.

    22. Re:Environmental capital. by jwhyche · · Score: 2

      I suppose that is as good an answer as I can expect. I could troll you; pick you up, and play you like a harp. But I don't see the point. It's fun to troll some people, but to troll you would just be sad.

      --
      I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
  8. Re:The usual suspects by novakyu · · Score: 2

    TFS says "East Asia". India is not in East Asia by anybody's definition of that term.

    On another note, wouldn't it be fun if this turned out to be Japan or North Korea?

  9. It was the professor, in the conservatory by JoeyRox · · Score: 1

    With the hairspray.

  10. Dr. Evil by Sesticulus · · Score: 1

    Didn't he already outline his plan in that early 2000s documentary?

  11. Re: The usual suspects by Type44Q · · Score: 1

    India is nowhere near East Asia.

  12. Re: The usual suspects by Type44Q · · Score: 1

    It won't be either of those: NK too low-tech; Nippon too high.

  13. Re: The usual suspects by novakyu · · Score: 1

    Hence "fun", if it turned out to be either of them.

  14. Re:Drumpf by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Trump on the issue of CFCs... https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  15. Re:The usual suspects by AHuxley · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Most normal production lines and random consumer products would have advanced after the 1980's.
    Low cost, export approved. Keep CFC going just for domestic consumer use?
    A domestic factory and imports would soon out pace 1970's CFC tech.
    A production line that was perfected in 1970-80, needs lots of CFC and has never been replaced?
    What advanced industry, consumer use could that be? That is not now low cost for consumers?

    That opens up non consumer use. A secret that relates to a lot of CFC.
    What old military design can release a lot of CFC and is worth the risk for a nation to try?
    Someone is cooking and is in a rush for the result.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  16. East Asia? by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 1

    Whew! This time it wasn't me.

    --
    Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
    1. Re:East Asia? by Tailhook · · Score: 1

      But they signed the Paris Agreement, the Kyoto Accords, the Montreal Mandate

      Being exempt from all the meaningful parts of these agreements makes signing pretty easy.

      --
      Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
  17. Sigh. by ledow · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You know when you "recycle" all those old fridges and freezers.

    And it costs a bucket to throw them away.

    And then a market starts up around a slightly cheaper way to do it.

    And the company just takes your equipment, ships it abroad, to someone who just signs off that it's being disposed of properly (but who doesn't care because it's not his life he's hurting).

    And then the abroad country, not having any care at all for such things as they get a nice backhander to bury a bit of rubbish, just throws it in landfill..

    Yeah... there. That's where I'd start.

    Like when you GPS-track waste electronics and find out it almost all ends up in landfill in India, China, etc. and isn't even processed at all.

    1. Re:Sigh. by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      no, they don't throw it in landfill. they strip it and of course poke the tubing to let the CFCs out before selling it

    2. Re:Sigh. by WindBourne · · Score: 5, Informative

      No, they have already figured out that it is WAY TOO MUCH to be coming from consumers. This is VERY LARGE scale.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    3. Re:Sigh. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      no, they don't throw it in landfill. they strip it and of course poke the tubing to let the CFCs out before selling it

      I have literally seen the CFCs being withdrawn from refrigeration units before being sent overseas as scrap for recycling. Granted, that was here in California...

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re:Sigh. by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      oh it's even an issue here in the USA. plenty of scrapyards want the metal, but don't want to bother with freon recovery so they just smash.....and sometimes get caught and fined.

    5. Re:Sigh. by HornWumpus · · Score: 2

      Freon 12 is still worth more than $10/lb. It's the most valuable scrap (by weight) in old fridges.

      Recovery is routine. Home central ACs are freon recovered before removal.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  18. 700 Million Leaky Air Conditioners? by retroworks · · Score: 1

    The number of households with fridges and air conditioners is growing exponentially. Would hundreds of Asian cities with millions of households with leaky ACs not throw up a plume? https://www.washingtonpost.com...

    --
    Gently reply
    1. Re:700 Million Leaky Air Conditioners? by Carewolf · · Score: 1

      The number of households with fridges and air conditioners is growing exponentially. Would hundreds of Asian cities with millions of households with leaky ACs not throw up a plume? https://www.washingtonpost.com...

      Only if they got hold of still working 30 year old air conditioners, or someone have started making 1980s tech air-cons again.

    2. Re:700 Million Leaky Air Conditioners? by avandesande · · Score: 1

      That's not really hard to believe. Air conditioning with old style cfcs was a lot better... old cars used to frost the outlet vents.

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    3. Re:700 Million Leaky Air Conditioners? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Not only that, modern CFC replacements are toxic enough to kill everyone in the car if the coils develop a fast leak.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    4. Re:700 Million Leaky Air Conditioners? by avandesande · · Score: 1

      Seems like finding a solid state solution like peltier (but obviously more efficient) would be huge like LED lighting.

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    5. Re:700 Million Leaky Air Conditioners? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      I knew that back then, it was a common hack.

      It was not recommended, until it became the official solution.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    6. Re:700 Million Leaky Air Conditioners? by jbengt · · Score: 2

      . . . old cars used to frost the outlet vents.

      Which could just mean they had insufficient airflow or were low on refrigerant.

    7. Re:700 Million Leaky Air Conditioners? by jbengt · · Score: 2

      Not only that, modern CFC replacements are toxic enough to kill everyone in the car if the coils develop a fast leak.

      Bullshit.. For example, the LC50 for R134a is more than 500,000 parts per million while the LC50 for R12 is around 750,000 parts per million. In either case, that's a mighty big leak in an automobile to displace most of the air.

    8. Re:700 Million Leaky Air Conditioners? by King_TJ · · Score: 1

      That's what I was thinking too! The old CFC-11 was the most efficient choice for an air conditioning system, thanks to its room temperature boiling point. It's really true that ever since it was banned and they forced us to use alternatives, air conditioning systems haven't performed nearly as well. For a large home A/C, it can be overcome by building a system that runs at higher pressures and uses a little more electricity -- so they do. And like most things produced in large numbers, they find ways to increase efficiency of other components to eventually offset some of the losses.

      But for automotive applications, you can't just "draw more power" when you've got a little fuel-efficient 4 cylinder engine as the power-plant. So you wind up with an A/C that just can't get as cold and which disengages whenever you drive up a hill or accelerate quickly.

    9. Re:700 Million Leaky Air Conditioners? by NJRoadfan · · Score: 1

      He is likely referring to HFO-1234yf.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    10. Re: 700 Million Leaky Air Conditioners? by retroworks · · Score: 1
      --
      Gently reply
  19. Re: The usual suspects by triffid_98 · · Score: 1, Troll

    All of my cars and refrigerators still require R-12 you intolerant bastard. I mean, not that I've ever had to replace any of it but without team India/China how could I? Congratulations you've saved the environment by mandating something that wastes more electricity/fuel and isn't released into the atmosphere unless things go very wrong.

  20. Re: The usual suspects by theshowmecanuck · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You can't save much if UV burns the shit out of everything.

    --
    -- I ignore anonymous replies to my comments and postings.
  21. Re:Fake story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Learn how to read dumbass. The gas in question is CFC-11.

  22. Re:News by OneAhead · · Score: 1

    Short story: not only that, they're quite potent too - much more so than CO2 (for the same concentration). The only reason they haven't received as much attention in this context as CO2 is that the international community has been quite successful at curbing their atmospheric concentrations and thus their impact on the climate. Which cannot be said about CO2.

    Longer story at Wikipedia.

    On the subject of getting attention: am I the only one who finds the theoutline.com link in TFS offensive? Not only did they succeed to combine the worst of late-2010s and early-1990s web design (scrolling site + white-on-black wall of text = teeth gnashing) but it's just a thoroughly sensationalized duplicate of the earlier TIME story. Complete with shamelessly copied misleading image of "largest Antarctic ozone hole ever recorded (September 2006)", but now with complimentary misleading caption "who did this?"

    It's almost as if they're setting up a strawman for the purpose of bashing the more moderate people with legitimate concerns about anthropogenic climate change. But then there's Poe's law...

  23. Good luck by sjbe · · Score: 1

    If we're going to get a handle on the environmentally destructive nature of capitalism then we're going to have to legislate that environmental capital be a real thing in all UN nations. That is that when you pollute the environment that you are held financially accountable for the costs required to remove it from the environment.

    Nice sentiment but let's get real. Until we can do something as basic as forcing oil companies to actually pay the full cost of the pollution their products generate we're not going to get nation states to cooperate. Hell we still subsidize fossil fuel companies to the tune of around $5 trillion globally every year and barely regulate emissions. Good luck getting that under control.

    This tragedy of the commons has been going on far too long.

    And as long as we have economically selfish "leaders" who think anything that hurts oil company profits is some sort of evil plot it isn't going to change.

  24. Re:News by OneAhead · · Score: 1

    It's almost as if they're setting up a strawman for the purpose of bashing the more moderate people with legitimate concerns about anthropogenic climate change. But then there's Poe's law...

    Never mind, it was written by an intern. Less "Poe's law" and more "Hanlon's razor" :-)

  25. Re:Fake story by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 5, Informative

    Nowhere does it state that CFC-11 is a greenhouse gas

    They don't even need to, it should be common knowledge.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  26. Re:News by Rhipf · · Score: 1

    CFCs are greenhouse gasses but their bigger problem is that they "eat" ozone. The Montreal agreement dealt with the ozone depletion problem though.

  27. Re:That Map by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    detected 4 years ago. And volcanoes do NOT release CFCs nor are they used in geothermal electricity production.
    Theory shot.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  28. Ifs and buts are candy and nuts by RogueWarrior65 · · Score: 1

    This is all you need to know about any global environmental agreements
    "...with only temporary exception of a few economically developing countries."
    "If everyone fulfills their end of the deal..."

  29. CFC by ledow · · Score: 1

    CFC-11:

    Either someone's making a shed-load of fridges.
    Doing a load of resonance imaging.
    Or...

    "Trichlorofluoromethane was formerly used in the drinking bird novelty"

    1. Re:CFC by slew · · Score: 1

      CFC-11:

      Either someone's making a shed-load of fridges.
      Doing a load of resonance imaging.
      Or...

      Someone's hyperscale offshore cryptomining datacenter has an unregulated cooling system which sprung a leak...

      If we are just tossing out things...

  30. Re:Volcano in Hawaii by ledow · · Score: 1

    Gosh, if only there were other volcanoes around the world we could use to compare its output with, or monitoring stations all over the world's volcanoes for all kinds of gas analysis?

  31. Troll [Re:Fake story] by XXongo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Oh, he knows it, the anonymous coward is simply trolling. The fact that the greenhouse gas in question is CFC-11 is clear in the article linked, and it takes some very deliberate misreading to not see that it is in the summary.

    CFC-11 is trichlorofluoromethane, for what it's worth. A better reference is here: https://www.nature.com/article...

    1. Re:Troll [Re:Fake story] by john.r.strohm · · Score: 1

      CFC-11, trichloromonofluoromethane, commonly known as Freon (tm).

      NOT toxic.

    2. Re:Troll [Re:Fake story] by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      CFC-11, trichloromonofluoromethane, commonly known as Freon (tm).

      Dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12) is a colorless gas usually sold under the brand name Freon-12. Trichlorofluoromethane [is] also called freon-11, [and] was the first widely used refrigerant. In spite of being the earlier claimant to the name, the refrigerant people are thinking of when they hear the name "Freon(tm)" is R-12. This is due to the fact it took dominance over R-11 long ago.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:Troll [Re:Fake story] by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Ammonia was the first 'widely used' refrigerant. Granting not as widely as later. Early commercial ice making industry ran on ammonia, as did early electric ice boxes.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    4. Re:Troll [Re:Fake story] by jbengt · · Score: 1

      R-12 did not take dominance over R-11. Until they were both banned, R-12 might have been more commonly used in lower temperature refrigeration, but R-11 was the most common refrigerant used in water-cooled centrifugal chillers and R-22 was the most common in positive displacement (piston or screw) air-cooled systems.

    5. Re:Troll [Re:Fake story] by Strider- · · Score: 1

      Ammonia is still widely used for large scale ice plants such as those found in hockey arenas and so forth. There was an accident in rural British Columbia recently where three workers were killed by an ammonia leak.

      --
      ...si hoc legere nimium eruditionis habes...
    6. Re:Troll [Re:Fake story] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      ammonia is difficult to use in a small home unit, so sulfur dioxide was more prevalent before chlorofluorocarbons.

      ammonia can't be used in copper pipes, so the steel pipes used back then tended to leak. and people would get headaches and their eyes would burn if they had a unit in a poorly ventilated home. In a commercial setting they are fantastic, cheap, and efficient.

      sulfur dioxide can be used with copper, the pumps don't have to work with as high of pressure, and it almost never leaks. except when it does leak the gas is very toxic and kills people sometimes. it's significantly less efficient than ammonia.

      CFCs were an amazing improvement over ammonia and sulfur dioxide in home units. too bad it damages the ozone layer, especially CFC-11 and CFC-12.

    7. Re:Troll [Re:Fake story] by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      At least when the buggers leaked you knew about it.

      I'm assuming that anything as inert as CFCs whiffs somewhat less than fermented piss.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    8. Re:Troll [Re:Fake story] by Kennon · · Score: 1

      Thank you for posting the additional more reliable source. It is hard to take anything posted on theoutline seriously. It's like someone citing Fox News. "news" sites that are so politically tilted in one way or another should really be avoided IMHO.

      --
      "All those moments, will be lost in time...like tears in rain..."
    9. Re:Troll [Re:Fake story] by Mike+Van+Pelt · · Score: 1

      Ammonia refrigerators are commonly used in RVs. Any time you have a refrigerator that's powered by propane, it's probably ammonia based. (It uses a mixture of ammonia and hydrogen in some plumbing so that when you heat up one side, the other side gets cold.)

    10. Re: Troll [Re:Fake story] by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      Spray into atmosphere under pressure with oil in a system, similar to R-12 leaking out of a car's AC. Creates nice poisonous clouds as the bonds are broken.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
  32. Re:Fake story by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 5, Informative

    Nowhere does it state that CFC-11 is a greenhouse gas

    Because most people realize CFCs are a powerful greenhouse gas. Oh, and because you posted a Wiki link, here's one right back for you, and here's the important quote you should take from it:

    the atmospheric impacts of CFCs are not limited to its role as an active ozone reducer. This anthropogenic compound is also a greenhouse gas, with a much higher potential to enhance the greenhouse effect than CO2.

    Emphasis added. Don't blame your ignorance on others.

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  33. Not the Volcano in Hawaii by XXongo · · Score: 1

    Don't volcanoes release mass quantities of CFC's?

    No, volcanoes emit a large amount of many noxious gases (most notably sulfur oxides), but CFCs aren't among them-- these are man made, and have no natural sources.

    The original article https://www.nature.com/article... (which would have been a better reference) said that the increase in northern hemisphere CFC-11 started in 2012, which is years before the current Hawaiian eruption.

  34. Re:That Map by PPH · · Score: 1

    detected 4 years ago.

    Kilauea has been there for millions of years.

    And volcanoes do NOT release CFCs

    You know this how? Proving a negative ....

    nor are they used in geothermal electricity production.

    What's this?

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  35. Re:Fake story by CptPicard · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I wouldn't bet on "most people" knowing that CFCs are also greenhouse gases. I consider myself pretty well-read, and that was news to me -- to me the issue with CFCs was always ozone.

    But now I know. If I had been a journalist writing the piece, I would have clarified the issue.

    --
    I want to play Free Market with a drowning Libertarian.
  36. Re:That Map by XXongo · · Score: 1

    detected 4 years ago.

    Kilauea has been there for millions of years.

    Yes, but the article is about a project that has been tracking CFCs in the atmosphere for many years seeing a new source of CFC-11 starting around 2012. That's not "millions of years".

    And, not seeing a new source of other CFCs, just CFC-11. Volcanoes don't emit CFC-11 (there just aren't any magma sources for fluorine-- volcanic gasses to worry about are hydrogen sulfide and sulfur di- and tri-oxide.)

    What's this?

    "This" is a news article that says of the geothermal plant at Puna "a flammable gas called pentane is used as part of the process."

    Pentane isn't a chlorofluorocarbon (although it's a contributor to photochemical smog.)

  37. Re:Fake story by Sperbels · · Score: 1

    I had no idea CFC were greenhouse gases. I thought they just helped breakdown ozone. Are they released in significant enough quantities to be relevant to global warming?

  38. Re: Fake story by Type44Q · · Score: 1

    Are they released in significant enough quantities to be relevant to global warming?

    I was wondering, too; odds are no.

  39. Re:Fake story by cirby · · Score: 1

    the atmospheric impacts of CFCs are not limited to its role as an active ozone reducer. This anthropogenic compound is also a greenhouse gas, with a much higher potential to enhance the greenhouse effect than CO2.

    Emphasis added. Don't blame your ignorance on others.

    Actually, CFC-11 is NOT a very powerful greenhouse gas. It's about 1/30 as powerful as CO2, for example, mostly because there just isn't very much CFC-11 in the atmosphere. If you add all of the halocarbons together, they're about 1/6 that of CO2 alone.

  40. Re:The usual suspects by novakyu · · Score: 2
  41. Re:That Map by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

    It would be trivial to check if it was volcanoes. They would know by now.

    Also why only in the last few years, volcanoes have been around quite a bit longer than that...

  42. Re: The usual suspects by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Your cars and refrigerators can use a an isobutane/propane mix. They do not require R-12. Your lazy ass that can't connect two bottles to refill the system rather than one is the problem..

    And no, I don't care that there is a very slight risk of a very small explosion, upgrade your shit.

  43. Re:That Map by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    Like I said, CFC are not natural (i.e. these are NOT made by nature) so can NOT be released by volcano since they do not exists in the wild. Nor are CFCs used in geothermal wells. Pointing to an article that says the magma is covering a well, means nothing. In fact, the magma SEALED the well
    Finally, Hawaii itself is a series of volcanoes and not a 1 is more than 1 Million years old. Kilauea it self is around 500,000 year+-.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  44. Re:99% chance of being China. by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    I was not think of the fridge itself to be releasing, but the manufacturer.
    However, the amounts that they have picked up goes well beyond that small amount of manufacturing.
    It is something being done on a large scale, with a large release at a time.
    That is why I suggested the railguns.

    Possibly foam, but that would indicate that it is in constant use. This is in puffs. large quantity puffs. As in, somebody had a reason to make heavy use of it for an hour or a day.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  45. Reseachers say it's refrigerator recycling: by Dances+With+Sharks · · Score: 3, Insightful

    See: https://www.express.co.uk/news... "SCIENTISTS have concluded a spike in banned chemicals which threatens to cause fresh damage to the ozone layer can be traced to badly recycled air conditioning units and fridges in China."

  46. Re:That Map by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    CFCs are 100% man-made. They are NOT found in nature. If they had been in nature, our ozone layer would be gone already.
    In addition, if you read on some of the other articles, esp. going back to the papers, you will see that we are talking 1000's of tonnes. In addition, it is 10s of TONNES at a time. If this was manufacturing-related such as for foam, it would be constant for multiple days or weeks. It is known that this is being done over a period of a couple of hours to a day long. Then apparently no usage for a bit.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  47. Re:The usual suspects by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    And where is north Asia then ;D ?

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  48. Re:Fake story by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    Are they released in significant enough quantities to be relevant to global warming?
    In our days, no. Hence the article, as this exhaust is significant, and we can not find the source.

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  49. Re:Fake story by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 2

    You are misinterpreting.
    CFC-11 is a nearly 5000 times stronger Greenhouse gas than CO2, but it is only in very small amounts in the atmosphere.

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  50. Re:That Map by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    That is a failure in researching ;D the link has nothing to do with CFC-11 ...

    And the parent is right: volcanos don't spit out CFC-11 ... how the funk would they?

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  51. Aliens by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Aliens with knees that bend the wrong way. Or the Chinese.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  52. Re:99% chance of being China. by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    that will depend on if the execs are doing it for the Chinese gov or not.
    If they are using this for cooling railguns, then no.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  53. Re:That Map by PPH · · Score: 1

    Well, there is no date on the map

    "23 Aug 2016"

    I wonder what compounds are used to start the process of CFC and if that could be a 'natural' process?

    I don't know. As someone pointed out, it could just be an old World War II dump that started leaking. The point is not to point fingers at Asia but to get their ground testing equipment over to Hawaii ASAP. That's where the plume appears to originate. On the other hand, if there exist other maps showing different sources, then why did they pick the one that clearly doesn't support the text of their story?

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  54. Re:Fake story by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I consider myself pretty well-read

    Did you read TFA?

    If I had been a journalist writing the piece, I would have clarified the issue.

    From TFA: "As greenhouse gases, CFCs are also thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide"

    How could it be more clear?

  55. Freon [Re:Troll [Re:Fake story]] by XXongo · · Score: 1

    NOT toxic.

    yes, whoever wrote the article made a bad word choice. CFCs have many properties, but toxicity isn't one of them.

    the original Nature article being commented on doesn't use that adjective. This is typical of popular science journalism, using high-impact words to make a story seem more important, instead of sticking to the actual words of the work being reported on.

  56. Re:Fake story by jwhyche · · Score: 2

    Any chance this could be natural? I'm pretty sure it isn't but just asking.

    --
    I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
  57. Re: The usual suspects by triffid_98 · · Score: 2

    Everybody wins by crushing thousands of tons of otherwise perfectly functional cars and appliances, got it. Does Everybody also work at your car dealership/appliance store? Putting R13A into a R-12 based system does not work.

  58. Re:Fake story by mysidia · · Score: 1

    They ought to.... If I recall correctly the so-called Greenhouse Effect has long been a concern about use of such gases since the early 1900s, and it was an environmental concern that CFCs might cause a Greenhouse Effect first and foremost, they were not known to be toxic pollutants otherwise. It was later into the late 1970s - more than 60 years after CFCs had started being used in products on a large scale that the other devastating truth about CFCs became exposed --- holes were discovered in our Ozone layer, and it was found the CFCs were the cause; everything from the propellents used in aerosol cans to gas used in refrigeration systems needed to change at enormous expense to stop using these and switch to alternatives from the 1980s to early 2000s.

    By the way, in most cases the alternatives to CFCs developed such as HFCs and PFCs are still greenhouse gases, and maybe even more potent --- compared to CO2; most of the CFCs and the alternatives/substitutes that were developed are More potent contributors to global warming.

    And all this work... in vain if some random company in one country or another believes they can do whatever the hell they want to in their factory; making and releasing CFCs at their convenience as a byproduct of some process anyways.

  59. Re:Fake story by mysidia · · Score: 1

    The release from one factory will not have a measurable affect on global warming, but Ozone depletion is another story, and it most likely has already caused damage that would be a measurable amount.

  60. Re: The usual suspects by jbengt · · Score: 1

    Your cars and refrigerators can use a an isobutane/propane mix. They do not require R-12.

    Yeah, but a leak can then be quite exciting, which is a big reason why the industry switched to non-toxic, non-flammable chloroflourocarbons in the first place.

  61. Re:Nah by dead_user · · Score: 2

    That reminds me of when the Onion did a great article the Taco Bell morning after burrito, the Contraceptimelt.

    https://www.theonion.com/taco-bell-launches-new-morning-after-burrito-1819564251

  62. Re:Fake story by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

    To be fair, CFCs were banned due to ozone depletion, the initial causality that was proven. The green house effects of CFCs or even methane, are generally unknown by the public at large, because those topics never really made headline news. With CFCs already out of the picture, and only CO2 being the major anthropogenic component of global warming, that's all most read about, provided they read anything about global warming at all. (Yes, it can be argued that methane has a large anthropogenic component as well due to cattle raising, but we'll gloss over that fact)

    --
    The cesspool just got a check and balance.
  63. Re:News by omnichad · · Score: 1

    As far as I know, they only have "interns" as writers there.

    No matter how potent CFCs are as a greenhouse gas, the amount is so absolutely tiny (relatively speaking) that it doesn't really matter. The chain reaction destruction of ozone is far more of a concern - because it multiplies its effects so broadly. I clicked away earlier and read that a single chlorine atom produced by CFCs breaking down in the stratosphere can destroy thousands of ozone molecules. But I'm too tired and lazy to cite my source, so just believe me instead.

  64. More global warming hysteria by p51d007 · · Score: 1

    From the left. Never was, never has been any "man made" global warming. It was the "modern maximum" sunspot cycles from the 50's through 2008/9 Since then, we've been in a solar activity free fall, with the sun being VERY quiet (just ask ham operators like myself how QUIET and dead the bands have been on 20 & 40 meters).

    1. Re:More global warming hysteria by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      the overall span of the modern max actual went 1915 to 2007, and we're headed for a "grand minimum" in 2050 now. Let's see how much that affects global temp.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

  65. Re:Fake story by jwhyche · · Score: 2

    I did a little bit of reading on this subject just now. I found some studies that state there are natural sources of CFCs. Then I found another paper that says there are natural sources of CFC.s

    From reading that paper I believe its safe to say there are natural sources of CFCs. But these sources are insignificant to really matter.

    --
    I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
  66. Re:Fake story by outlander · · Score: 2

    Since the 1970s (yes, I'm showing my age), it's been relatively common knowledge that CFCs = ozone-depleting gases, and there have been published articles which seek to establish causal links to climate change as a secondary result of ozone depletion. So knowledge of CFCs as 'greenhouse gases' is not as common as knowledge of CFCs as 'ozone-depleting gases', but it's not as if it's completely out of the blue, either.

    --
    "Truth is what works" -- William James "It works!!" -- o-dark-AM comment
  67. Re:The usual suspects by rogoshen1 · · Score: 1

    i think they called it the 'Raj' ?

  68. Re: The usual suspects by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

    R-12 worked a hell of a lot better than R-134a. You can still pick up cans but it's not cheap.

    --
    Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  69. Re:Fake story by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 4, Informative

    No, it's not natural. CFC-11 is fluorotrichloride, or CFCl3. C-Cl and C-F bonds are artificial- in nature you don't see them much. To form them you need to invest energy, because you're starting with ionic chlorides and fluorides, which are not terribly interested in forming covalent bonds with a non-metal like carbon. That's why these chemicals fall apart so easily when they reach the upper stratosphere. The fluorine doesn't stick around for long, but the chlorine with the unpaired electron attacks ozone and survives the encounter. A single chlorine radical will destroy billions of ozone molecules for the two years it spends in the air. It attacks its first ozone to form ordinary oxygen and chlorine monoxide, which still has an unpaired electron. The chlorine monoxide attacks a second ozone, yielding more oxygen and releasing the chlorine radical to kill again. Although the chlorine radical itself only lasts a few decades, its fluorotrichloromethane precursor hangs around for decades to replenish the supply.

    The fact that the molecule has four of these weird bonds makes it really suspicious. Someone is definitely making this shit.

  70. Re:The usual suspects by Talderas · · Score: 1

    If you read the Wikipedia link then you would have seen that North Asia is Russia east of the Urals.

    --
    "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
  71. Greenhouse gas by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 2

    The article is poorly written. Yes CFCl3 is a potent greenhouse gas (and so is ozone actually), but the issue here is the ozone destruction, not the greenhouse effect. One shady factory in China manufacturing CFCs will warm the earth about as much as the factory next door legally manufacturing HFC. Sarin is a greenhouse gas too, but that's not what makes its release newsworthy.

  72. Definately China by nhtshot · · Score: 4, Informative

    I used to live in China and was in the data center cooling business. R12 is all over the place there in the HVAC industry. Officially, it's prohibited. Unofficially, you can buy it from any A/C dealer in just about any city. I've been gone for a few years, but when I was there, R12 air conditioners were still being made and installed new.

    1. Re: Definately China by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      They don't have a company called DuPont in China. For those who don't know, new refrigerants are introduced and the old ones are banned when DuPont's patents on the formulations expire.

  73. Re: The usual suspects by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    Everybody wins by crushing

    Errr no. R-134a is a retrofit replacement. If you are crushing things or someone recommended crushing things they were trying to sell you shit you didn't need. Do you even google bro?

  74. Re: The usual suspects by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    R-12 worked a hell of a lot better than R-134a. You can still pick up cans but it's not cheap.

    Leaded petrol worked a lot better than unleaded too. What's your point? Fuck over everything for sake of tiny increases in convenience for ancient gear? Phosphoric acid is a better de-scaler and rust remover than it's replacements. Benzine is a better window cleaner than ammonia, not that there's much ammonia in modern cleaners either.

    We can achieve a great many things when we don't give a shit about the consequences. R-134a is just fine as a refrigerant.

  75. Re:Fake story by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

    The green house effects of CFCs or even methane, are generally unknown by the public at large

    Are you serious? Even my redneck brother-in-law, with an IQ of about 80, makes a joke about "contributing to global warming" every time he burps or farts.

    those topics never really made headline news.

    Uhh ... yes they have. I have seen many headlines about cows and NG leaks contributing to global warming. The big NG leak in California in 2015-2016 was national news, and every story mentioned the greenhouse effect. I have also read at least a few headline stories about freon as well.

    Anyone ignorant of these issues is certainly not "well read".

  76. Ooop, this is on me. by TiggertheMad · · Score: 1

    I left the refrigerator door open in my hotel room while I was visiting China ten years back.

    This is why your parents told you not to stand in front of the refrigerator with the door open....

    --

    HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
  77. Re:Fake story by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

    The green house effects of CFCs or even methane, are generally unknown by the public at large

    Are you serious? Even my redneck brother-in-law, with an IQ of about 80, makes a joke about "contributing to global warming" every time he burps or farts.

    Rednecks aren't necessarily ignorant nor stupid, although the stereotype certainly paints them that way. That's why there are also stupid rednecks and dumbass rednecks, not to mention the "hold my beer, hey y'all, watch this" redneck.

    Anyone ignorant of these issues is certainly not "well read".

    Now that's a different argument and a lot more subjective, and I'll grant you that well-read in this context seems out of place given how much has been written about these various contributors to global warming.

    --
    The cesspool just got a check and balance.
  78. Boron ? by PerZon · · Score: 1

    CFCs can be used to make boron and high energy fuels and rocket propellants are made with the boron.

  79. Re: Fake story by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

    My High School when I was a Junior and a Senior had a students' smoking courtyard. The school was built with these inner courtyards, which there were four or six of, so every classroom would have windows, and one of these courtyards was the designated smoking area for students. This was in Minnesota, by the way. I graduated in 1977.

    This was before the Iran hostage crisis, the 'war on terror', and Reagan and we had the idea that we were going to be more and more free as time continued on.

  80. Re: Fake story by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

    These people you refer to have had names at times in the past. For a time they were called comrades in one area of the world, in another they were called Good Germans. Sometimes they are referred to as consumers by those who manipulate them. They have a set of memes called 'popular culture' that is manufactured to entertain, distract, and control them.

  81. Re: The usual suspects by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

    The fluid in the tank under your seat is only flammable as a vapor mixed with air. There is a lot of complicated machinery involved in converting it to a form where it burns very effectively. The vapors can occur to make it flammable by simply letting it escape and evaporate on it's own, but it's easily contained so that is a relatively uncommon occurance. That is specifically why it is such good mobile fuel. Completely unlike extremely unstable, corrosive and leak prone substances like hydrogen.

  82. jwhyche has solved global warming, need more lines by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

    Because it's obvious to anyone who still has a pulse that measuring by country is idiotic with such differing sizes of countries.

    For example, split China into 4 equal Countries, North South East and West China. Each will have more people and produce less CO2 than America. Suddenly America is 'the worst polluter in the world' again according to you. All from just drawing lines on a map. Was there an actual change in pollution though?

  83. Re:Volcano in Hawaii by PPH · · Score: 1

    How many other volcanoes around the world are dumping molten lava directly into seawater? There could be something unique about the chemistry going on here.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  84. Re:Fake story by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 2

    Any polyatomic gas is a greenhouse gas. If it's airborne and has three or more atoms, it qualifies.

    Low energy infrared photons (like those emitted by a body at 300K) can cause bonds to bend side to side in a flapping motion.

    Oxygen and nitrogen are diatomic molecules. They can stretch, but there's no way they can bend because there are only two atoms. So they're transparent to IR emitted from the ground and are not greenhouse gases. Molecules that can bend need three atoms or more, like carbon dioxide, which gets hit by an infrared photon and moves like a bird flapping its wings before reemitting it. H2O is also a greenhouse gas but its long term atmospheric concentration is stable over the long term and doesn't rise year over year. Methane is a potent gas because it's tetrahedral and its single bonds are easier to flex than e.g. the double bonds in CO2.

    HFCs and CFCs also have tetrahedral shapes with single bonds, but they're more potent greenhouse gases than methane, because the fluorine and chlorine atoms distort the charge concentration and give the molecule a dipole moment that makes it better at scattering photons. They also provide it with more possible bending motions.

    I'm not sure why this article is talking about illegal fluorotrichloromethane being a greenhouse gas. It's illegal because it destroys stratospheric ozone. Gram for gram, sarin is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, but that's not why it's illegal.

  85. Re: The usual suspects by Reverend+Green · · Score: 1

    "What old military design can release a lot of CFC and is worth the risk for a nation to try?
    Someone is cooking and is in a rush for the result."

    Sounds plausible. Google search turns up several references to military use accounting for a large fraction of CFC pollution. But very little info about those military applications. Perhaps some manufacturing processes that involve controlling extreme temperatures?

    Norks cooking up some chemical weapons, to hold onto as a deterrent after formal denuclearization? Japanese deciding now is the time to finish their 95% complete nukes, 'cuz something made them worry more than usual about China? Both sound like cool movies... But they don't really match the map.

    It sure looks like the plume is coming from a Pacific island near Hawaii. Maybe that's an artifact of the monitoring infrastructure locations? Or maybe Uncle Sam is building something out there?

  86. Paywalled Publicly Funded Paper = Doubtful by fygment · · Score: 1

    The article referenced in this post refers hints at alternative sources of the CFC's that the researchers considered. That seems key to know eg. were the CFC's produced from existing CFC laden garbage in landfills (old refrigerators) that have suddenly released their content?
    But can't get to see that since the apparently publicly funded research is hidden behind a $199 publishers fee.

    --
    "Consensus" in science is _always_ a political construct.
  87. Satellite imaging? by jenningsthecat · · Score: 1

    I'm probably missing something glaringly obvious that will make me look stupid, but I'll throw this out there anyway. Wouldn't there be a pretty specific IR / spectral absorption profile for CFC-11, or at least for CFC's in general? If the rate of release is that great, wouldn't there be a chance of satellite fly-overs narrowing down the location significantly, if not actually pinpointing it?

    --
    'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
  88. Re:Volcano in Hawaii by ledow · · Score: 1

    Lots of them.

    The vast majority of volcanoes are UNDER THE OCEAN.

  89. Re: The usual suspects by AHuxley · · Score: 1

    Nuclear. Its always nuclear thats hidden and never mentioned in the media much.
    Was it an industrial scam, consumer junk, an export scam it would be in the comedy section of the tech news.
    Country A pumps out CFC to scam with fake industrial air conditioner. Name and shame.
    With no names and no really funny make cash quick "origin" story?
    Something really funny like Country B imported the industrial air conditioners and found them to be really good for the price until they needed servicing and the CFC free gas did not work...
    No funny story? Its military and nuclear.
    CFC only works for some many things and all the easy stuff got upgraded over the decades.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  90. Re:Volcano in Hawaii by PPH · · Score: 1

    Which would result in CFCs remaining dissolved in the water.

    This might be an alternate explanation of high CFC concentrations around Kilauea. Dissolved CFCs (produced over the years from man-made sources) are simply being boiled out on contact with the lava and released into the atmosphere. Not reabsorbed as would be the case with deep water volcanoes.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  91. No you didn't. by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

    Wow, you found 'some studies' and then 'another paper' but for 'some reason' you didn't want to share them with us...

    1. Re:No you didn't. by jwhyche · · Score: 2

      I found studies answering my own questions. A simple google search would let you find the same things. Since I'm not proposing any thing outrageous, why do I need to do your research for you?

      --
      I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
  92. Re:99% chance of being China. by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

    No even then they will find a scapegoat. The PR hit would be too bad for them if they don't.

  93. Happy to be wrong by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

    No unfortunately I've become used to entitled assholes blaming poor people for consuming too much while trying not to look in the mirror.
    They seem to follow me around, I just (incorrectly) assumed he was another one.

  94. You have been told, you have fingers in your ears by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

    Because if you are on a boat that is taking on water, you want to find the biggest holes and plug them first. Hint Americans are amongst the biggest holes, China is only a bit above average.

    Even if you think lines on a map are somehow important for calculating who to blame, why are you patting youself on the back?
    I get it, you hate China, they are filthy dirty scum and probably stole your coal job. But why are you so smug when by your own stupid measure you are SECOND WORSE IN THE WHOLE WORLD?

  95. Re:The usual suspects by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    If you had more clue, you would knew that a) I was teasing and b) that the names are completely different from nation to nation. In German there ist no north or south Asia.
    India is east Asia, and the parts east of Ural are simple Asia.
    I guess you are one of the Guys who believe the 'middle east' actually starts in north west Africa.

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  96. Re:Fake story by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    No, the chance that such an amount is ocuring naturaly is zero.

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  97. Consider the source by therealbev · · Score: 1

    These people also want climate-change deniers to be jailed.

  98. Re: The usual suspects by triffid_98 · · Score: 1

    No, it isn't. If you'd ever tried to do that swap you would know this. In order to retain the same cooling characteristics you'd need to increase the duty cycle of the compressor or upgrade it. Do you think GE (or whomever) chose some toxic thing just because? They chose it because it was the most effective refrigerant they could find.

    If I legitimately need a new appliance/car/home air conditioning system fine, I will spend the money. The problem is that we're now legislating that 'need'. By the power of law you can no longer repair things that need sealant and will go for another 20+ years, you now need to spend thousands on less efficient gear that may not even last 10 years. If any of my R-12 systems need recharging in the future I will be contacting India or China or flipping ISIS if that's what it takes.

  99. Re:Fake story by Maxthod · · Score: 1

    I also did read "the 1987 Montreal Protocol" with is about ozone reduction.

  100. Re: The usual suspects by triffid_98 · · Score: 1

    So replacing a reliable and efficient working thing with an "approved" non-working thing and then replacing it with a semi-working thing (many dollars later, provided you can jump through enough government mandated hoops and endured months of a thing that does not work) is the "best" path? I think I'd rather fund terrorism. Virtually all of the supplies going into Afghanistan are shipped through Pakistani tribal lands. The US government pays bribes to allow each of those shipments to go through. Who do you imagine receives those funds? I can assure you it isn't the Red Cross, it's the exact same groups we're "fighting" in Afghanistan. The government would like to pretend drug sales are funding them while they literally find them.

  101. Re: The usual suspects by thegarbz · · Score: 2

    And yet it is the routine retrofit and replacement gas that is used constantly in exactly the applications you describe it as not being the replacement. Just because your duty suffers slightly doesn't make it a direct replacement.

    The problem is that we're now legislating that 'need'.

    Do you still wash your windows in benzine? Do you still use leaded paint and petrol? Do you still use large tubes of mercury to make tilt switches? You can thank legislation for your current life expectancy and the world you live in. Screw your shitty compressor and its duty cycle.

    If any of my R-12 systems need recharging in the future I will be contacting India or China or flipping ISIS if that's what it takes.

    On behalf of the world, fuck you you inconsiderate fuck.

  102. What is it used for? by interstellarsurfer · · Score: 1

    Obviously it has refrigerant properties. I would hazard a guess that since it boils at room temperature, it would make a great inorganic solvent for electonics/solar manufacture and other processes. Looks to be a lot safer than dichloromethane, if you're willing to flout international law.

  103. Re:Happy off the path by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

    Accidentally calling someone an idiot while surrounded by other idiots is hardly the same as bombing people. I don't think slopes can get that slippery can they?

  104. Re:China signed a piece of paper is therefore PERF by sound+vision · · Score: 1

    You're idiot-signaling pretty heavily right now.

  105. Re:You have been told, you have fingers in your ea by jwhyche · · Score: 2

    But yet you think that lines on a map are important when you want to assign blame to people of the US? But not when the finger is pointed at the biggest polluter, China? So its only important when you can blame the U.S?

    You see you are not looking to solve the problem? You are just looking for someone to blame. Since you can't blame the whole U.S. any more as the number one polluter, you pull out this per capta crap so you can continue to do so.

    We get it, you hate the U.S. But here is something for you think about. There are 1.2 billion Chinese. While U.S. emissions have been on the decline for more than a decade. Yes, we used to be the first, now we are the second. What do you think will happen as those 1.2 billion Chinese want to start emitting like the average U.S. does?

    We won't talk about India and Africa who are about to surpass the U.S. in emissions in probably the next decade. Will you shuffle the numbers around again so you can continue to blame the U.S?

    An, no I don't hate China, India, or Africa. The point is silly people like you want to pass the blame but don't want to do anything about it. You have to recognize where all the true issues are to deal with it. Shuffling around numbers so you can still have your favorite boogy man doesn't solve squat.

    Blaming individual people won't make the problem any better. We have to work with countries as a whole because that is the way our society is set up.

    --
    I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
  106. Re:Fake story by jwhyche · · Score: 2

    The fact that the molecule has four of these weird bonds makes it really suspicious. Someone is definitely making this shit.

    Well that blows. Thanks for bring me up to date.

    --
    I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
  107. Re:You have been told, you have fingers in your ea by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

    I can see you don't have a science/math/logic background. Pretending something is true and then figuring out it's not consistent with reality is a common way to prove things are false.

    Did you really not know Africa isn't a country? Africa isn't going to overtake you. What 'African government' is set up to tackle this?

    Logically there can be only 2 posibilities, profound ignorance or trolling. Anyone who could make the kinds of 'arguments' you are making, either knows they are easily refuted nonsense, or is just parroting what someone else told them to say. You don't seem completely stupid, so #2.

    I feel truly privileged you responded, since my lowly post didn't ever get above 1...

  108. USA #2 USA #2 by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

    Did you really just say you think the USA has the 2nd worst government in the world?

    +1 groupthink doesn't make you smarter if the group are all idiots.

  109. Your ego makes you easy bait. by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

    And I can run 100 meters faster than Usain Bolt, I just don't want to hurt his feelings. He trains so hard.

    It's obvious you put a lot more effort into this than I did. But you still didn't get the response you were looking for. Better luck next time.

    You did manage to get one thing right. Your 'fame' did get me much more attention to my arguments, so thanks for that. I got exactly what I wanted.

    Is this the part where you tell me how smart you are again?

    1. Re:Your ego makes you easy bait. by jwhyche · · Score: 2

      Why would I bother to do that? Tell you how smart I am. That accomplishes nothing. You have already formed your option of that, and anything I say will not change that.

      You are mistaken about one thing. I did get the response I was looking for. I have drawn you out in to conversation. That is what I was trying to accomplish.

      It wasn't your insults that attracted me to respond to you. I honestly could care less what people think about me personally. I've been on the internet way to long to be affected by peoples personal option. No, as I said, I remember some of your first posts. They where well thought out and very insightful. That earned you some of my respect. I guess I was mistaken about that.

      But I would be interested in hearing more about this 'fame' you brought up. Some how that has escaped my notice.

      --
      I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
    2. Re:Your ego makes you easy bait. by crimson+tsunami · · Score: 1

      You're setting a rather low bar for yourself aren't you? Makes it too easy to claim a win. You should make your target put in some kind of effort or at least get emotional or something. Otherwise didn't I draw you out into my plan?

      You forget you aren't the only one who has aims. Since maybe I was too subtle before, mine is to make more people aware of how America is such a (the) major CO2 polluter. So that's a win for me. It's a bit late now to get further into it, this story isn't really fresh enough anymore. You can try again next time the subject comes up, when it's still near the top and not everyone has already read it. It will be win-win. You can troll me and I can get more eyeballs seeing my facts.

      On the other hand it's possible I'm just a sad lonely boy craving attention, and you're giving it to me. Again a pretty low bar for you but still win-win for us both.
      Like a great man once said. We are going to win so much we will get tired of winning.

      Wait for a good topic though, you can lead off with how America's CO2 has been going down for years (25 at least) can throw in China and India going up, I'll leave it up to you. You needn't do any research or anything, you seem smart enough to wing it. This way, many more people will see it than if I just post by myself.

      Reading back for typos I see that you did indeed make me put in more effort this time. You are good at this!
      Still win-win, win-win, it'll be great.

    3. Re:Your ego makes you easy bait. by jwhyche · · Score: 2

      Boring!

      Tell me more about this fame thing you brought up.

      --
      I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
  110. Re: The usual suspects by triffid_98 · · Score: 1

    Do you still wash your windows in benzine? Do you still use leaded paint and petrol? Do you still use large tubes of mercury to make tilt switches? You can thank legislation for your current life expectancy and the world you live in. Screw your shitty compressor and its duty cycle

    If I could still get those things I might.

    Lead paint is in no way toxic unless you eat/burn it. It lasts far longer than its modern equivalent. It's gotten better but a paint that will last 60+ years is called lead paint. I wouldn't use it on wood (since the thing it's attached to won't last that long) but on metal, sure. Steel coated in this stuff on both sides will last longer than any of us.
    Lead, as a fuel additive, no. While it is an excellent octane booster there are plenty of other things that can do that too (Benzene,Toluene,etc). The only benefit other than its relative cheapness was that it didn't require hardened valve seats in engines. If your engine is so equipped (even 50 year old trucks have this) then there's no real benefit to running tetraethyl lead fuel other than as bragging rights that you own your own time machine. It's also pretty shitty for the environment since that comes out in the exhaust.

    Asbestos (embedded in other materials since it's an excellent fire retardant) is in no way toxic unless you crush those materials releasing the embedded fibers. In high heat applications it's now been replaced by ceramic wool fibers that are arguably just as dangerous and for the exact same reasons. My father worked literally ACROSS THE STREET from an asbestos baling facility (for shipment from where it naturally occurred to other parts of the world) for 20+ years and he's fine at age 70.

    Creosote comes from a bush+coal tar, its pretty toxic if you burn it but ordinary wood coated in it lasts FOREVER. Go to the coast, look at a pier (or look at pretty much any old railroad tie). See that brown stuff on the pilings? That's Creosote. Since it's been illegal for the last 30+ years and those pilings are still doing just fine yes I'd like some of that please. Your ecologically friendly-ish (but still toxic) pressure treated lumber is a far cry from that.

    Benzine as a window washing fluid? I guess you could but...why? I've never needed anything other than ammonia based products. Glass is pretty easy to clean, you can even use a razor blade on it if whatever substance won't come off with an approved solvent. You can still (IIRC) legally obtain this but if you order a 50 gallon drum of it then expect to go on some sort of homeland security watch list.

    Mercury based switches, I guess you mean thermostats? Modern equivalents are better. If you want to always turn on something at X degrees then fine, it works and will continue working until whatever plastic bits that are attached to it break( If it does break please dispose of it properly ). If you only want to turn stuff on when you're home, not so much. You need electronics for that.

    Incidental contact to any of these materials is not going to cause problems, it's only with repeated contact/as an inhalant that you start to get those.

    The Romans literally had water pipes made out of lead, lead was in their wine, etc. Yes some of them eventually went nuts but thinking a tiny amount is OMG dangerous is a fallacy. Any exterior paint made prior to 1977-ish? was a lead based paint. It's exposure based, just like radioactive substances. Some is fine (seawater everywhere, also soil in my area are naturally radioactive), it's only when you get a lot of it that you start to have problems since your body can only absorb so much before 'bad things' (cancer) start happening, or in the case of Lead poisoning it's IIRC dementia.

    Back to my main point, virtually every A/C (house, car) system that I own runs on R-12. They all still work fine and have not impacted the environment in any way other than by electricity usage, which they use less of. I have owned 'modern' refrigerat