Freon
Question: Recently I found out that my refrigerator
had been leaking freon. I don't know how long the freon has been leaking,
so I don't know how much freon I was exposed to. Will this freon harm
my health?
Answer: "Freon" is not a chemical per se, "Freon"
is actually a trade name that describes a whole class of chemicals used
in refrigeration. Most of the chemicals included under the trade name
of "Freon" are known as "chlorofluorocarbons." This
means that their chemical structure is made up of the main chemical
building blocks of carbon and hydrogen, but they also include chlorine
and fluorine as well. With out knowing the EXACT version of freon that
was used in your refrigerator, one can only comment on the general health
effects of freon as a whole
The most serious side effect of freon exposure would occur at the time
of initial exposure. People who have a history of heart problems should
be very concerned about Freon because it can cause cardiac arrhythmia
(irregular heartbeat), and palpitations at very high concentrations.
For people who have a history of heart problems, being exposed to small
amounts of Freon from leaking appliances should not pose any significant
health risk.
Fortunately, Freon does not have serious long term health consequences.
It is not a carcinogen, teratogen, or mutagen, and it does not damage
the liver. When it is inhaled, it is rapidly excreted by exhalation,
and it is not significantly accumulated in the body. This means that
breathing low concentrations of freon from a leaking refrigerator or
air conditioner over a long period of time is unlikely to have a cumulative
effect, and thus few, if any, long term health effects.
When trying to figure out how much Freon you have been exposed to,
there are several things to keep in mind. First, there is a finite amount
of Freon contained in the refrigeration system, so you can't be exposed
to any more than what is actually in the system. Second, Freon is about
4 times heavier than air, so it is going to sink to the floor initially,
though it is highly volatile and will disperse rapidly. What this means
is that the closer to the floor that you are, the more Freon you are
likely to breathe in. This is a concern especially for children and
pets, children because they are smaller and thus require smaller doses
for acute effects to occur, and pets, especially dogs, because they
are more sensitive to the heart sensitizing effects of Freon than humans
are.
If you discover that you have a Freon leak, contact a technician for
repairs immediately. Open up windows and doors and use fans to help
move the air out of the area. Remove yourself and your pets to an area
of fresh air, and if you feel any unusual health effects, seek medical
care. If you have chronic heart conditions, consider having your Freon
containing appliances checked regularly for leaks.
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