Adverse Effects of Refrigerant Or Freon
Adverse Effects of Refrigerant Or Freon - Electronic appliances with cooling functions such as refrigerators or air conditioners, both room air conditioners and car air conditioners, contain refrigerants or refrigerants.
ACFIRDAUS.com - Yes, appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and freezers, contain chemicals called fluorinated hydrocarbons. People often refer to this chemical as Freon, which is a leading brand name.
Reporting from Medical News Today, Monday (1/3/2021), Freon is a dangerous substance. This almost odorless and tasteless gas can cause severe symptoms if a person inhales too much at once.
Inhalation of refrigerant in high concentrations or in large quantities can lead to death.
If someone suspects they have inhaled refrigerant accidentally, they should be rushed to the hospital immediately. If it is indeed inhaling in large quantities.
Refrigerant poisoning can occur if a person inhales Freon leaking from refrigeration equipment, such as refrigerators and air conditioners. Accidental refrigerant poisoning is rare, but can occur when a person works directly with refrigeration chemicals.
Mild exposure to freon in a well-ventilated room usually does not have a serious impact, as it is usually only slightly inhaled.
So, what exactly does leaking Freon smell like? Here's the explanation.
Quoted from Stan's AC, Freon is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) that helps the air conditioner or refrigerator remove heat from the atmosphere to keep the room or contents in the refrigerator cool, but it can be dangerous for humans if not contained properly.
Freon usually travels through an enclosed copper coil in an air conditioning unit or refrigerator, but this coil can crack and result in leakage of the air conditioner cooler. Freon leakage will produce an odor between sweet and chloroform.
Freon leakage can be toxic. If you suspect a Freon leak, talk to a technician who can use a Freon leak detector to help with the problem.
Accidental freon poisoning is rare. Most cases of poisoning occur due to deliberate exposure when someone wants to get drunk, or they inhale freon in an enclosed space.
Symptoms of mild to moderate refrigerant poisoning include the following. Headache Irritation of the eyes, ears, and throat Dizziness Frostbite if exposed to freon or coolant that expands rapidly Vomit Chemical burns on the skin Nausea Cough.
Negative Effects of Inhaling Freon
Difficulty Breathing and Irritation
If you inhale Freon, what happens is difficulty breathing and swelling of the throat. In addition, it can also cause irritation to the eyes, nose, tongue, loss of vision, pain in the eyes, and burns of the esophagus.
Heart Disorders
In large quantities, inhalation of freon causes an irregular heartbeat even to death. Another consequence is to cause problems with the heart. Excessive use of AC Freon can cause side effects in the heart.
Inhaling AC Freon excessively can result in heart attack, high blood pressure and normal heart rhythm leading to blood circulation.
Chlorofluorocarbon poisoning Symptoms of poisoning can be:
- swelling of the throat,
- difficulty breathing,
- severe sore throat,
- loss of vision,
- burnt eyes, nose, lips and tongue,
- burns of the esophagus,
- vomiting blood,
- blood in the feces,
- severe abdominal pain,
- The heart rhythm is abnormal and blood circulation is disturbed.
Death
The worst result caused by Freon AC is death. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH had reported deaths due to the use of air conditioning. The cause of death was abnormal heart rhythm and suffocation from cooling in an enclosed space.
Horrible isn't it? Currently, there are many AC users in Indonesia. Besides being able to cause global warming, it turns out that Freon in the air conditioner also has very terrible side effects. Unfortunately, until now no other compound has been found that can replace the performance of Freon.
In conclusion, it is very important to check the volume of AC Freon. Hopefully this article can be a reference in reducing the adverse effects of using air conditioners.
How to Reduce the Negative Impact of Freon
Opening the windows of the house so that outside air is free to enter and air exchange circulation occurs.
When working in a place that uses air conditioning, it is recommended to drink plenty of water and exercise regularly.
Although the impact of Freon when accidentally inhaled, the problem can be prevented by taking steps as mentioned above.
In addition to health, it turns out that the use of Freon also has a negative impact on the environment or nature. Then what are the adverse effects of Freon on the environment.
Adverse effects of Freon on the environment
Around 1970, scientists discovered that the use of chloroflourcarbon-based syntetic refrigerants could damage the Earth's ozone layer.
When released into the atmosphere, freon (CFCs) will turn into Carbon dioxide which will increase the density of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. CFCs also result in depletion of the earth's ozone layer. So that the sun's Ultarviolet rays enter the earth directly and increase the temperature of the earth.
Therefore, the Indonesian government has reduced or restricted the use of Freon CFC gradually and prioritized using Freon which is Non CFC (HCFC). Because HCFC has less risk to the environment.
In addition, the reduction in the use of CFCs by the government is also a form of the government's active role in supporting the prevention of global warming.
Difference between CFC and HCFC
Both CFC and HCFC compounds are useful as refrigerants, but CFCs are not good to use due to their serious environmental impact on the environment.
The main difference between CFCs and HCFCs is that CFCs contain only carbon, fluorine and chlorine atoms whereas HCFCs contain hydrogen atoms other than carbon, fluorine, and chlorine atoms.
HCFC has very little impact on the ozone layer because it undergoes photochemical decomposition before it reaches the upper atmosphere. This is an important difference between CFCs and HCFCs.
However, according to permendag No.12 of 2020, it can no longer be imported with the aim of protecting human health, safety, and preventing environmental damage.
