Are Metered Dose Inhalers Harmful to the Environment?
Are Metered Dose Inhalers Harmful to the Environment? Answer: Because metered dose inhalers are an aerosol and contain propellants, people worry they will be harmful to the environment or ozone layer. While this may have been true in the past, it is becoming less true as each month passes. At one time, all MDIs did contain substances called chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs for short. These substances acted as propellants, which means they helped propel the medicine mist out of the canister and into your airways. CFCs in other products, such as deodorant spray cans, have been found to deplete the ozone in the atmosphere, so they have been banned internationally. In fact, the production of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) was discontinued on Jan. 1, 1996, for all uses deemed non-essential under the Montreal Protocol. However, the use of CFCs as propellants in MDIs was classed as essential, providing an exemption from the agreement. While the U.S. agreed to go along with the worldwi
