A synthetic chemical compound containing chlorine, fluorine, and carbon, once widely used in refrigerators and aerosol sprays but now banned because it destroys atmospheric ozone.
From 'chloro-' + 'fluoro-' + 'carbon.' Commonly abbreviated as CFC, these compounds were invented in the 1930s as safe, non-flammable alternatives to toxic refrigerants.
CFCs seemed like a miracle invention—totally safe, non-toxic, perfect for refrigerators—until scientists discovered in the 1970s that they float up to the ozone layer and destroy it, creating a hole over Antarctica the size of North America.
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