How To Keep Your Cool and Protect the Ozone Layer

         Air conditioners in most motor vehicles manufactured before
         1994 use a refrigerant called CFC-1 2, which is a chlorofluo-
   rocarbon (CFC). CFCs damage the ozone layer, which protects the
   earth  from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. As a result, the United
   States and all other developed nations have agreed under an inter-
   national treaty to ban  the production  of CFCs.

     While this ban does not mean you  have to replace your air con-
   ditioner's refrigerant, you may want to discuss this option with your
   service technician if your air conditioner needs repairs. To accom-
   modate an alternative refrigerant, your air conditioning system
   must be adapted or retrofitted. It may be  more cost-effective to
   retrofit in conjunction with routine maintenance.

     You can ask your service technician the following questions to
   determine if your car uses CFC-12, and what you can do about it:

     Does my air conditioner currently use CFC-1 2?

   • Can you repair my  air conditioner  and recharge it
     with CFC-1 2?

     How much will it cost if I choose to stay with CFC-1 2,
     now and in the future?

   • If I  decide to change refrigerants, what other
     refrigerants are available?

   • What is involved in  retrofitting my car?

   • How much will retrofitting  my car cost,  now and in the future?

   • Will a retrofit affect the performance  of my air conditioning system?

   • If I  need to repair the system in the future, will  I be able to find
     the same refrigerant I used to replace the CFC-1 2?
   Name of Service Station:

   Date of Service:	
   Type of Work Done:_
   Type of Refrigerant Used:.

&EPA
   United States
   Environmental Protection
   Agency
                              EPA430-F-97-005

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  All service technicians handling air conditioner refrigerants must
be certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
should be able to answer all of your air conditioner repair questions.
See below for more information on the connection  between CFCs
and  the environment.

  If you choose to retrofit your vehicle's air conditioning system, you
may want to fill  in the card on the front to keep with your records.


                 UNDERSTANDING
                THE CONNECTION:
  Meter Vehicle Air Conditioners and the  Environment

    Do you keep  hearing about a hole in the ozone layer? Ever wonder if
 you can help? If you own a motor vehicle, the answer is yes, you can!
 Most automobiles use CFC-1 2, a refrigerant that damages the ozone
 layer whenever it leaks out of the car.

    If your vehicle's air conditioner  needs repairs and currently uses CFC-
 1 2,  you have two options:

 •  Repair and Retrofit: You can convert your car's air conditioning system to
    use a refrigerant that is safer for the ozone layer. There are no laws requir-
    ing you to retrofit your air conditioning system to use a different refrigerant.

 •  Repair and Recharge: You can  keep using CFC-12 until the current
    supply is used up. This may be the most cost-effective option if you are
    not planning to keep your car for very long.

   The costs to retrofit your air conditioner will vary depending on the
 complexity of the retrofit and the cost of parts and labor. Retrofitting may
 help save you money by avoiding the purchase of CFC-1 2, which is
 becoming more  expensive as supplies run out.

    Replacement  refrigerants must be reviewed by EPA. Of the refrigerants
 that EPA has found acceptable, HFC-134a is the only refrigerant vehicle
 manufacturers recommend as a replacement for CFC-1 2. HFC-134a is
 ozone-safe and  is used in the production of all new vehicle air condition-
 ing  systems. It may not work as a retrofit refrigerant in every vehicle, how-
 ever. Be sure to ask your vehicle manufacturer, service technician, or
 refrigerant manufacturer whether you should retrofit your car using HFC-
 134a or another alternative refrigerant, or continue to use CFC-1 2.
   For more information on vehicle air conditioning retrofits,  CFCs,
or the ozone layer, contact EPA's Stratospheric Protection Hotline at
800 296-1996. You can  request a copy of the publication  It's Your
Choice: Retrofitting Your Car's A/C System (EPA430-F-97-052).
You can also visit EPA's motor vehicle air conditioners Web site at
(http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/609/).

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