On a per molecule basis, it is considered to be the most potent greenhouse gas present in Earth's atmosphere, having a global warming potential of about 18,000 times that of carbon dioxide. The chemical is predicted to have a lifetime of 800 years in the atmosphere. However, the current concentration of trifluoromethylsulfur pentafluoride remains at a level that is unlikely to measurably contribute to global warming. The presence of the gas in the atmosphere is attributed to anthropogenic sources, possibly a by-product of the manufacture of fluorochemicals, originating from reactions of SF with fluoropolymers used in electronic devices and in microchips, or the formation can be associated with high voltage equipment created from SF (a breakdown product of high voltage equipment) reacting with CF to form the CFSF molecule.