The Chemical Industry is promoting a false solution to climate change and this time it is double the trouble: driving climate change and forever chemicals 

At Green America, we’re sadly familiar with corporations offering solutions to the climate crisis that benefit their bottom line more than our health and our planet. In the 1980s, chemical manufacturers fought regulation of their ozone-depleting coolants before offering hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as more “environmentally safe” replacements. But as we now know, HFCs are a potent form of greenhouse gas and because of their use in cooling systems worldwide, they are some of the biggest drivers of climate change. 

This is why Green America is working hard to convince large grocery store chains to replace HFCs with natural refrigerants in their cooling systems. Unlike HFCs, natural refrigerants like carbon dioxide (CO2), ammonia, and propane have a low environmental impact and are proven to work well in supermarkets nationwide and around the world.  

But while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the use of HFCs, it is now attempting to weaken those rules in ways that might delay the adoption of natural refrigerants and relax restrictions on artificial ones. And the chemical industry is acting on that opportunity. 

Chemical manufacturers are pushing supermarkets to use hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) or HFO/HFC blends, rather than natural refrigerants. They claim HFOs, which do have a lower climate impact, have a lower environmental impact overall than HFCs.  

However, there’s a big catch—HFOs can break down into per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” polluting the groundwater we drink and the soil we grow our food in. They have been linked to reproductive problems, cardiovascular issues, certain types of cancer, and other medical issues. And they may also still transform into greenhouse gases contributing to climate change as well. The climate impacts of HFO/HFC blends in particular are much higher than those of natural refrigerants. 

When HFOs enter the environment, they transform into trifluoroacetate (TFA), a form of “forever chemical” that may be linked to human health impacts. Other countries have quickly responded to the potential dangers—Germany’s chemical regulator is seeking to classify TFA as “reprotoxic, meaning it can harm human reproductive function, fertility and fetal development.” And both Denmark and Germany have set limits on the amounts of TFA allowed in drinking water. 

While the full scope of TFA’s effects is still being studied, as a form of “forever chemical,” the chemical industry’s determination to promote HFOs despite the potential impacts on our health and the environment is deeply troubling. As with other “forever chemicals,” TFA is difficult to remove once it’s been introduced to the environment, and it’s currently unregulated in the U.S. on a national scale.  

Additionally, HFOs still may end up contributing to the climate crisis, despite chemical producers’ claims they are “better for the environment.”  A 2021 study by the University of New South Wales found that once in the atmosphere, some HFOs may turn into a potentially potent form of HFCs “with over 14,000 [times] the global warming power of carbon dioxide.” 

This means that Green America’s campaign urging the adoption of natural refrigerants in supermarkets’ cooling systems is an opportunity to not only reduce greenhouse gases affecting our climate but also to help avoid the proliferation of other problematic “forever chemicals” spreading through our soil and water.   

Chemical manufacturers stand to profit immensely if the HFOs they make are used in the supermarkets and grocery stores we buy our food from. Time and again, they’ve proven that we can’t trust them to do the right thing for our health and a sustainable environment on their own if they think it won’t increase their profits.  

And while the EPA had previously sought to greatly reduce our exposure to “forever chemicals” in our drinking water, the current administration is not only deliberately walking back those efforts, but they’re also relaxing a decade’s worth of reporting requirements, making it easier for companies to avoid responsibility for the “forever chemicals” their products leave behind. 

We need to demand that supermarkets and grocery stores stand with their customers and reject the false climate solutions being pushed by chemical manufacturers by using safer, natural refrigerants like CO2, ammonia, or propane. Doing so will also create more jobs in U.S. industries and for HVAC professionals, helping to grow the economy while protecting the environment. And using natural refrigerants can save grocery stores money, since these systems reduce energy use and cost over time.  

It’s not unreasonable to expect companies to better understand the potential harm their products might cause. Despite what the chemical industry may claim, it’s not “good business” to chase short-term profits at the expense of our health and our planet.