Dangerous fake ‘F-12’ refrigerant sold online in US

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently identified online sales of a potentially unsafe refrigerant promoted for use in automotive air-conditioners.

VASA’s North American counterpart MACS Worldwide is spreading the word with a safety alert on its website.

While the product (branded “Cool Penguin F-12”) appears to be marketed as CFC-12, some of the cans contain a mixture of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), such as CFC-12, CFC-114, HCFC-142b, and HCFC-22, along with non-ozone depleting components, including HFC- 134a and R-40.

Different cans tested by the EPA contained varying amounts of some or all these substances. Under current Clean Air Act regulations, the import of cans containing any per-cent of the ODS listed above into the United States is illegal.

In addition, no person may sell, distribute or offer for sale or distribution any regulated ODS that they know, or have reason to know, was imported illegally.

No version of Cool Penguin F-12 has been submitted for evaluation as an alternative under the EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program; thus, Cool Penguin F-12 has not been listed as acceptable for use in MVACs.