The 1970 federal Clean Air Act authorizes the EPA to determine whether or not R12, also known as CFC-12, is compatible with a substitute replacement refrigerant. The EPA's Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program evaluates if the replacement will operate in the air conditioning unit in the same manner as the R-12 refrigerant it is replacing.
The EPA has determined through its SNAP program that R-134a is a R12 substitute which actually does not pose a threat to humans or the environment and meets auto maker guidelines as well. R-134a has been fully tested and is therefore the only alternative to R-12 listed by the SNAP program that is specified by auto makers and their warranties.
A number of alternatives for CFC-12 are unacceptable and not compatible with CFC-12 based upon EPA SNAP guidelines. The EPA has rejected CFC-12 substitutions or replacements that show flammability concerns or were found unacceptable due to environmental issues. For instance, two CFC-12 substitutes, OZ-12 and HC-12a,were unacceptable due to unanswered flammability concerns, according to the website EPA Test.
Refrigerant recovery and how it is recovered is crucial when your vehicle's air conditioning system is undergoing repair. If refrigerant does escape from your A/C system it can damage the ozone. It is therefore essential that the technician servicing your A/C system use "a refrigerant recovery machine that meets Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standards," reports the website AA1 Car.
