January, 2005

Phase-out of HCFC Blowing Agents (i.e. 141b)

Polyurethane foam is among the most effective insulating materials available. One of the reasons for this is because the blowing agents used to create the fine cellular structure of the foam are often highly insulating gaseous materials that are trapped within each of the small cells of the foam, thereby adding to the insulating effectiveness of the PU foam. Traditionally, the most commonly used foam blowing agents were non-flammable, non-toxic CFC's, such as the well known refrigerants CFC11 and CFC-12, which are considered "first generation" blowing agents.

However, the use of CFC's was banned in the United States because of their implication as "ozone depleting substances" (The Montreal Protocol of 1987 is the international treaty, ratified by the U.S., which established the framework for the eventual phase-out of these ozone-depleting materials). Therefore, since the early 1990's, these have been mostly replaced by less ozone depleting substances known as HCFC's, including HCFC-141b and HCFC-22, also known as "second generation" blowing agents.

Effective January 1, 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has issued a "Use Ban" regulation on HCFC-141b blowing agent, which means that PU foam systems containing HCFC141b cannot be domestically produced or imported, under penalty of law, after this date. Furthermore, this regulation requires that any existing inventory of finished product containing HCFC 141-b cannot be applied after June 30, 2005. The fines for applying HCFC-141b containing polyurethane foam after July 1st, 2005 may be severe; up to $12,500 per pound.

The good news is that all Handi-Foam one-component and two-component foam systems have been formulated without the use of any HCFC-141b. Therefore, this "Use Ban" does not affect any users of Handi-Foam. Fomo Products, Inc. maintains compliance with all environmental regulations, and strives to stay ahead of any potential requirements. For this reason, many Handi-Foam products are formulated with the "third generation" blowing agent HFC-134a, which is completely non-ozone depleting and non-flammable, or with HCFC-22 or other commercially available and legally approved alternative blowing agents.

The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) can be used as a reference document to determine which blowing agent is being used in a particular foam system. As the phase-out and substitution of foam blowing agents proceeds, Fomo Products, Inc. will continue to provide high quality, field tested and proven, and environmentally compliant polyurethane foam systems.

This information is provided as a service, and is not necessarily meant to reflect any recommendation, guideline or position of Fomo Products, Inc. Each individual user must determine product suitability for any particular purpose.