Refrigerants and your damage.

[Greg W]

Im unsure if this thread is posted in the correct area.
As there seems to be no area for the thread.
HOW HAS REFRIGERATION GAS EFFECTED YOUR WELLBEING???????????????????

How do you know if its the gases that are to blame for you sickness or illness.
I have been around refrigerants to 14 years , Some of those times in the early years I would of been intoxicated by the vapours and sickend by the smell of gas from a bad burn out.
I dont feel overall effected by refigerants , however I am begining to feel like years of exposure will take its toll soon , Please let everyone know if your a victim of refrigerant poisoning.

The smell of vapour is now starting to make me feel ill, is my body rejecting and telling me not to smell.???

I was not told of the dangers in the early years and it is still not spoken about now. I DONT SEE MANY OLD FRIDGYS ANYMORE , we might be dieing young.

[US Iceman]

This is an interesting topic. For many years we have been told or heard stories of how safe and benign the commercial refrigerants are.

The one topic we do not hear much about is the long -term effects of accumulated exposure. Most of us have heard the stories of decomposition by exposure to a direct flame causing something like phosgene. I don't quite buy the phosgene part, but the stuff is very nasty!

The other aspects of this are such things as cancers, tumors, irregular heart rythms, oxygen deprivation, etc.

I do know some of the first hand effects and this why I tend to work only with the natural refrigerants now, i.e., ammonia, CO2, and hydrocarbons.

To see some of the interesting facts about the various refrigerants you need to READ the material safety data sheets published by the refrigerant manufacturers. Some of this is very scarey.

Unfortunately, I think this is one area where the person has to assume the responsibility for his/her own well being.

One word of caution I might put forward is: there are no safe refrigerants!:eek: Believing so, puts you at risk.