Officials Move to Curb Release of Freon Gas

California could take the national lead in fighting the spread of ozone-depleting chemicals if proposals presented Friday by Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and state Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) are adopted.

At a City Hall news conference, Bradley called on the City Council to enact a measure requiring all service stations and auto repair shops in Los Angeles to use special equipment to recycle the chemical Freon when servicing automobile air-conditioning units.

He was joined by Hayden, who unveiled proposed legislation, including a bill that would extend the repair shop requirements to auto service centers throughout California. Hayden’s proposals, to be introduced over a two-year period, go on to call for an eventual ban on use of all forms of so-called CFC chemicals in California by 1997.

No jurisdiction in the nation as yet has such strict controls in place.

The control of Freon from auto air-conditioning units alone could eliminate nearly 20% of all the CFC chemicals used nationally, according to statistics presented by Bradley’s office. When the Freon in a vehicle’s air conditioner becomes contaminated with water or air, service stations routinely drain the gas--simply allowing it to escape into the atmosphere--and replace it with pure Freon.

The CFC chemicals are widely used in refrigeration, air conditioning, aerosol sprays and the manufacture of polystyrene.

Hole in the Ozone

Scientists believe that CFCs are destroying the Earth’s ozone layer, which protects plant and animal life from ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Experts believe that CFCs have already created a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, and leaders from around the world met in London this week to form a global plan for eventual elimination of the chemicals.

“We prefer the comfort of cool air while we travel from one destination to another,” Bradley said. “The problem is that Freon, a gas which creates this cool air, is the highest ozone-depleting gas.”

The mayor said he will direct the city’s General Services Department to buy the recycling units and begin using them on the city’s fleet of about 6,000 vehicles before the ordinance takes effect. The machines, made by about a dozen companies, cost from about $1,500 to $4,000.

Bradley’s proposed ordinance would also ban the sale of Freon to anyone who cannot show proof of ownership of a recycling unit. The gas is now available in cans for people who want to replace the coolant in their automotive units themselves.

The requirement for all service stations to use the machinery would begin on Jan. 1, 1990.

Another Requirement

Some service station owners said the requirement would be just one more in a series of recently enacted environmental laws that cause them to buy special equipment or make other changes in the way they do business.

But some representatives of the industry are supporting the proposals.

Steve Shelton, director of the Southern California Service Station Assn., said, “They’ve made their case . . . and I think it makes a lot of sense.”

But, Shelton cautioned, much of the Freon in use in vehicles is lost to the atmosphere through broken seals or pipes long before motorists get to a service station.

And the added costs, as always, would have to be passed along to consumers. Shelton said a typical $50 air-conditioning servicing would increase by $5 to $10.