Stratospheric Ozone Layer
Depletion
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Page 6
The Spread
of Chlorofluorocarbons
With the introduction of CFC-11 and CFC-12, the air-conditioning
and refrigeration industries began to boom. In 1932, the Carrier
Corporation manufactured and marketed the first self-contained household
air-conditioning unit, "the Atmospheric Cabinet." This brought the idea of comfort through
technology and chemistry to the household consumer. It was not long before
consumers devoured the new comforts brought by synthetic chemicals. Though
consumer acceptance was slow at first, it eventually became an irresistible
force.
Just
before the beginning of the Second World War, on September 8, 1941, Thomas
Midgley Jr. received the American Chemical Society's Priestly award for
outstanding creativity in the field of chemistry. His contributions to the
field were extensive. CFCs are but one of his many innovations, all of which
were designed to help humans live better and longer. In less than fifty years,
however, this part of his work has come to be seen as something that could
endanger the lives of all humans and perhaps, the planet Earth.
After the war, consumers demanded the many things that they had
to do without during the times of rationing and conserving. Consumption was
high, as were most people's hopes for the future. In
1956, America's first air-conditioned mall opened in Edina, Minnesota, ushering
in the age of convenience and shopping pleasure. By 1958, 90% of the
theaters, 40% of restaurants, and 25% of the hotel rooms in America were
air-conditioned.
This idea of air-conditioned comfort was not confined to areas of
entertainment. Between 1962 and 1966, 75% of all new
apartments built were equipped with air-conditioning. Once the living
environment had air-conditioning, American automobile air-conditioning soon
followed. In 1963, 15% of the 6.5 cars in America had air-conditioning
and only eight years later, in 1971, 58% of all
American cars had air-conditioning, as did many truck cabs and other
conveyances. By 1972, the living areas of America were being
air-conditioned as well. More than half of all residences were equipped with
some form of air-conditioning.
The spread of CFCs had not only made its way through American
industry and the world, but these products had followed people everywhere. It
had become possible for a person to remain within a few feet of air-conditioned
space from the time they left their home in the morning until they returned at
night. This one invention had become so commonplace that many could not imagine
doing without it even for a short time. As with many other CFC related technologies,
the usefulness and reliability of the technology made it very popular. CFCs did
their job cheaply, efficiently, and well. For over forty years, no one thought
there would ever be a problem with these wonder chemicals that had become a
vital part of so many people's daily lives.
In
December of l973, two scientists made a discovery that would change the way the
scientific community and the general public would view CFCs. F. Sherwood
Rowland and Mario Molina had studied the effects of chlorofluorocarbons in the
upper atmosphere and had concluded that these substances had the potential to
deplete the ozone in the stratosphere. The significance of what they were
claiming was so profound that they knew there would be a great deal of
discussion about their theory. In order to understand what the Rowland and
Molina theory suggested, it is necessary to discuss some facts about the
Earth's atmosphere and the molecules that are found there; in particular,
ozone.
