Fluorinated gases pharmaceutical industries, as well as in refrigeration when combined with other gases. PFCs were commonly used as fire extinguishants in the past and are still found in older fire protection systems. They are also a by-product of the aluminium smelting process. Sulphur hexafluoride (SF) is used primarily as an insulation gas. It can be found in high-voltage switchgear and is used in the production of magnesium. HFCs were developed in the 1990s to substitute substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). As these substances were found to deplete the ozone layer, the Montreal Protocol lays down provisions for them
Aarhus Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants housed 53 different country members and alliance. The protocol was amended on 18 December 2009, but the amended version has not yet come into force. As of May 2013, the protocol has been ratified by 31 states and the European Union. In the United States, the protocol is an executive agreement that does not require Senate approval. However, legislation is needed to resolve inconsistencies between provisions of the protocol and existing U.S. laws (specifically the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act). The following substances are contained in the CLRTAP POPs Protocol. The document focuses