Refrigerants

The ozone hole over Antarctica is expected to gradually become less severe as chlorofluorocarbons—chlorine-containing synthetic compounds once frequently used as refrigerants – continue to decline. Scientists expect the Antarctic ozone hole to recover back to 1980 levels around 2070.

The 1987 international Montreal Protocol banned many of the chlorine compounds used in refrigerants and aerosols, like hairspray, to lessen the damage. Since then, the size of the ozone hole has slowly declined but remains large enough to produce significant ozone loss.

Chlorofluorocarbons used as refrigerants, in aerosol sprays and as solvents are responsible for the destruction of the ozone, which filters out harmful ultra-violet radiation from the sun. Scientists attribute the rise in global skin cancers and cataracts to the loss of ozone.