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
UNEP OzonAction Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol was set up. The Fund's "main objective is to assist developing country parties to the Montreal Protocol whose annual per capita consumption and production of ozone-depleting substances is less than 0.3 kg to comply with the control measures of the Protocol". UNEP’s OzonAction branch is one of the Fund’s implementing agencies, along with others, such as UNIDO, UNDP and the World Bank. Official website UNEP OzonAction OzonAction is a branch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) which has its main office in Paris, and is part of UNEP's Division of