Guest guest Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I hope this isn't OT or vere into OT [from another group] {In addition to mold and household chemicals there is another major source of toxic chemicals in indoor air that I have not seen discussed anywhere. A new refrigerator with fluorocarbon refrigerant R134a leaking 0.5 ounce per year of R134a into a room of 1000 cubic feet with one change of air per day will keep the fluorine concentration at 1 ppm. That is fluorine concentration not refrigerant concentration. Breathing 1 ppm fluorine air will result in an exposure of 12 mg/day of fluorine. The 0.5 ounce per year leak rate is not detectable with current technology. The CDCs Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, ATSDR, has a Minimum Risk Level, MRL, for acute inhaled fluorine of 0.01 ppm. Acute means less than 15 days. I have not found a MRL for intermediate, 15 days to 365 days, or long duration, more than 365 days, inhalation exposure. The average American fluorine exposure from fluorinated water and food is estimated 2 to 3 mg/day. ATSDR states " A chronic-duration oral MRL of 0.05 mg fluoride/kg/day has been derived for fluoride. " This is 3.5 mg/day for a 70 kg person. A refrigerator or other fluorocarbon appliance, with a not-detectable leak can produce fluorine concentrations 100 times the ATSDR MRL for acute inhaled fluorine exposure of less than 15 days, and more than three times the chronic-duration MRL for oral fluorine. And it can do this for years before you notice a decrease in cooling performance. Since Fluorine will replace Iodine in thyroid hormone making it worthless, low thyroid condition is a likely result of Fluorine exposure. Low thyroid hormone is the cause of 150 documented symptoms. Where can you go in the US and not find leaking air conditioning equipment? Because metals have micro fractures, all metal containers of pressurized gasses leak. As the appliance is operated vibration and thermal cycles cause these micro fractures to enlarge with time increasing the leak rate until eventually all the gas come out. Almost every residence, retail store, office building and factory has fluorocarbon refrigerants and they are all leaking! The important question is the leak big enough to cause you health problems? " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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