Here's the story -

Our furnace wasn't putting out much heat, so we had the heating and air conditioning guy come and check it out. He said there are freon leaks inside where the furnace coils are and outside at the heat pump. And it's probably been leaking for years because sometimes it only blows out cold air which I thought was normal, but the guy said that means it wasn't working. So I've been breathing in freon for years now, especially in the winter when the house is closed up.

I'm kind of worried that I've been messing up my health for 7 years and I went online to see how bad freon is and it's toxic if you breathe it directly, but I can't find out if dissipated freon affects you.

Does anyone have any idea of how unhealthy it is or would it only have accumulated in the basement where the furnace is located and it wouldn't have gone upstairs because freon is heavier than air? Should I figure it didn't mess up my health and kill my brain cells?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2013 10:45PM by KidRaw.

I would say the minute amounts from that leak would pose very little health problem to you. The most serious risk is a contact burn, or possibly direct inhalation, I suppose.

From what I have read "they" say that it is not an accumulative toxin. A small leak from cracked fittings/etc., especially over years in a large home would dissipate to very low levels.

I have worked with AC systems for years, and in the old days before the "enviro-push" we would bleed systems off in the garage without a second thought. Nowadays of course, all of those chemicals are captured/recycled.

The warnings we always received were either about contact burns or immediate respiratory issues, due to the oxygen removal properties of Freon & working in a confined space.

No one that I have worked with has ever experienced any ill issues, to my knowledge.

Personally, I'm more concerned about Chem-trails...

Thanks, veganjuice - I feel better now, especially with the information that freon is not cumulative. The furnace guy made a joke that he's going to live forever because of the freon he's breathed in. We could go cheap and just keep getting it topped up with freon every so often, but that would actually cost more in the long run and the freon would keep leaking, so we're going to either get the leaks fixed or get a new heat pump. If it's not one thing, it's another when you're a homeowner.

KidRaw,

The chemical compound you breathed in is chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). (Freon is a DuPont brand name) CFCs were banned for the effects on the ozone, not for dangers to people. So I agree, you don't need to worry about your health.

This is the Freon we're going to be getting. I guess it's the same one we already have because our heat pump is 15 years old. My husband said for all we know our refrigerator could be leaking freon, too, because it's also 15 years old. Our old house in NJ has a furnace that's 60 years old - the house was build in the 50's - and it still works fine. They don't make appliances like they used to.

R-410A “environmentally friendly” refrigerant

[www.ehow.com]

Personally, I feel all this "changeover" stuff is a huge scam, similar to the Al Gore "green push" years ago. It's all about the money. Come up with/force changeover to new chemicals, which are basically still as toxic, but in a different way.

Catalytic converters on autos is a great example of this. Simply put, they convert one harmful gas into another harmful gas. It is debatable if it is "less toxic" or not, as the resulting conversion produces a chemical which is known to cause acid rain & other environmental effects..

At any rate, the bottom line is that manufacturers are forced to comply with ever changing regulations that do nothing but line the pockets of the rich (govt) and require the service industry to continually update their tools/equipment. I've seen about four changeovers in the A/C - auto industry in less than 20 yrs.

Enough Already!!!

P.S. - Sorry for the rant, lol

I like rants

Another example would be the CFL curly light bulbs. I was just in the store a while ago looking at light bulbs and notice the 100 Watt ones aren't there. And I heard this year the 75 watts are going to disappear. Thanks, Environmentalists! I'll have to stock up on those now.

Govt Bans 75-Watt Bulbs, Replaces with Mercury-Leaking "Efficient" Bulbs

[theintelhub.com]

"The days of the 75-watt incandescent light bulbs seem to be numbered. Stores may sell their existing stock, but January 2nd’s new federal law is preparing to phase out production and importation. Forty- and 60-watt incandescent bulbs will face the same slow death next year."

That sure makes me mad, considering the 'energy saving' ones are so unhealthy with the mercury and other problems. But somebody is making money off them and it fits into somebody's agenda.

Study: Exposure to CFL bulbs harms healthy skin cells

[dailycaller.com]

Energy Saving Light Bulbs 'contain cancer causing chemicals'

[www.telegraph.co.uk]

Another Study Finds Mercury in Fluorescent Bulbs a Risk

[naturalsociety.com]

I also hate it when you buy something and you love it but when it breaks down and you go to buy another one, they don't make them anymore. I just bought five pairs of the same shoes from Payless so they'll last me for the rest of my life.