Refrigerants used onsite as well as several key pollutants from facilities are listed below. Refrigerants such as CFCs and HCFCs are commonly used in air conditioning, cooling and refrigeration equipment. These can contain ODS that are contributors to GHG emissions and climate change due to their relatively high global warming potentials (GWPs). Refrigerants are often emitted to the air through equipment leaks or during servicing or disposal of refrigerant containing equipment.
| Pollutants Emitted from Operations | Pollutants Emitted from Production Processes |
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Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
VOC are defined as organic chemical compounds that under normal conditions are gaseous or can vaporize and enter the atmosphere. A pollutant is considered a VOC when:
- It contains carbon
- Vapor Pressure is > or = 0.01 kPa (~0.075 mmHg) at 20C
- Boiling point is < or = 250C at standard pressure of 101.3 kPa
Hazardous or Toxic Air Pollutants (HAP/TAP)
HAPs/TAPs are defined as compounds that are known or suspected to cause significant harmful impacts to human health or the environment.
Country-specific regulations may define which air pollutants are designated as HAPs/TAPs within a specific jurisdiction. Where country-specific definitions or regulations do not define HAPs/TAPs, recognized lists from other jurisdictions may be referenced when determining if pollutants from facility operations should be included in the reported quantity. For example, information on HAPs from the US EPA can be found here. A current list of HAPs as defined by the US EPA can be found here.