Havana, Sep 4.- Cuban authorities are working to achieve three major objectives, as part of a program to eliminate greenhouse substances that affect the ozone layer, an expert said in this capital.
The director of the Technical Ozone Office in Cuba (OTOZ), Nelson Espinosa, told reporters on Wednesday that in this new stage, authorities will prioritize the elimination of hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) R-22 and 141-B.
The first group is mainly used in cooling equipment, while the second group is the main ingredient in many cleaning liquids for cooling equipment, Espinosa said.
The recovery and, if possible, the reconversion of equipment that uses that those kinds of HCFC are also major tasks, as well as the training of personnel, because the new substances on the market demand that training, he added.
The OTOZ director pointed out that every year, two or three new refrigerants hit the market, for example, HFO, a saturated HCFC that does not contain chlorine.
It is a substance that is still under development and, although it has been verified that it does not influence on global warming, it is quite toxic and inflammable, thus the importance of having trained personnel to manipulate it efficiently, the expert stressed.
Likewise, he said that there is a long-term plan to eliminate HCFCs from Cuba’s industrial sector, and informed that several industries in the country are reconverting their production plants. (Prensa Latina)
