In Depth

During the mid-twentieth century, Freon® was little appreciated but indispensable. The DuPont-produced gas made widespread use of refrigerators and air conditioners possible and served as propellant in aerosol sprays of all types. Up to the 1920s, most commonly used refrigerants were exceedingly hazardous substances. Late in the decade, two scientists doing research for General Motors’ (GM) Frigidaire subsidiary, developed an inert, nontoxic, and odorless replacement chlorofluorocarbon gas (CFC) called Freon® . GM asked DuPont to develop the product on a large scale and a plant was built at Deepwater, New Jersey, in 1930. In their work with the substance, DuPont scientists discovered that Freon® also made an effective aerosol propellant. Related CFCs also proved effective as degreasing agents and as the basis for Teflon® , a remarkably durable and inert plastic. Freon® products were produced and marketed through a joint DuPont-GM venture called Kinetic Chemicals Company up to 1949 when the operations came under control of the Organic Chemicals Department.

Demand for Freon® refrigerants and propellants continued to grow until the 1970s when scientific studies indicated that CFCs were depleting the ozone layer that shielded the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. During the 1980s DuPont began developing more environmentally friendly hydroflourocarbons, eventually marketed as Suva® refrigerants and Dymel® propellants. During the 1980s, federal regulatory agencies banned the use of chlorofluorocarbons and DuPont began phasing out production, producing its last CFCs in the developed countries in 1995. The difficulties faced by American producers and consumers alike in curtailing their use of Freon® were a testament to its profound impact on postwar life.