Metered-dose inhaler stringent set of criteria, they must: In the early days of MDIs the most commonly used propellants were the chlorofluorocarbons CFC-11, CFC-12 and CFC-114. In 2008 the Food and Drug Administration announced that inhalers using chlorofluorocarbons as a propellant, such as Primatene Mist, could no longer be manufactured or sold as of 2012. This followed from the U.S. decision to agree to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Phospholipids are important natural surfactant lipids used in enhancing penetration and bioavailability. Phospholipids act by reducing the high surface tension forces at the air-water interface within the
Montreal Protocol including most of the major CFC producers, signed the Vienna Convention, which established a framework for negotiating international regulations on ozone-depleting substances. After the discovery of the ozone hole by SAGE 2 it only took 18 months to reach a binding agreement in Montreal, Canada. But the CFC industry did not give up that easily. As late as 1986, the Alliance for Responsible CFC Policy (an association representing the CFC industry founded by DuPont) was still arguing that the science was too uncertain to justify any action. In 1987, DuPont testified before the US Congress that "We believe there is