DENR Warns of Mislabeled Refrigerants
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Beware of mislabeled or adulterated refrigerants!

This warning to car and refrigerator owners came from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) following reports of proliferation of bogus refrigerants in Northern Luzon and Mindanao.

DENR Secretary Michael T. Defensor said the EMB through its Philippine Ozone Desk has been receiving complaints from legitimate air-conditioner and refrigerator service shop owners and technicians in Northern Luzon and Mindanao on the rampant sale of mislabeled refrigerant cylinders.

According to him, the modus operandi involves the labeling of refrigerant cylinders as R-134a but actually containing chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs. Or, the cylinders may contain a mix of CFC and R-134a to match the pressure of a pure R-134a. This way, he pointed out, the mixture will be difficult to detect.

CFC, known to the public as freon, is an identified ozone-depleting substance. It is being sold as CFC-12 or R-12. R-134a, on the other hand, is being pushed as the alternative-cooling agent because it does not contain CFC.

According to Defensor, most cars manufactured from 1999 up to the present are already equipped with air-conditioning systems using R-134a. “Injection of this type of air-conditioning system with CFC or other type of refrigerants will result in the malfunctioning of the compressor because the oil is not compatible with the unit,” he explained.

To protect consumers, Defensor advised the public to patronize only legitimate repair shops that have been trained either by the Department of Trade and Industry or TESDA and are equipped with refrigerant identifier.

He also advised concerned groups to get in touch with the DENR, which has its own refrigerant identifier, along with the Bureau of Customs, TESDA and other TESDA-accredited training institutions.

The DENR is regulating the importation of CFCs in compliance with the country’s commitment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. As per record of EMB, the importation of CFC-12 has already been cut down by 50%, as of 2005, or a total of 2,988 metric tons. Total phase-out of the chemical is slated on 2010.