Abstract |
Production of CFC-12 for use in the United States ceased on December 31, 1995 in accordance with the requirements of the Copenhagen Amendments to the Montreal Protocol and the Clean Air Act. Since this production phaseout, the national supply of CFC-12 has depended upon the quantity of CFC-12 contained in stockpiles at the beginning of 1996, the quantity of CFC-12 reclaimed from existing air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, and illegal imports of CFC-12. The demand for CFC-12 is determined by the number of operating R-12 air conditioning and refrigeration systems that require refrigerant to replace R-12 lost through leakage and upon servicing (R-12 is the name for CFC-12 when it is used as a refrigerant). This report presents updated estimates of the supply and demand of R-12 in the United States during the period 1999 to 2005. |