Any of several organic compounds composed of carbon, fluorine, chlorine, and hydrogen. Developed during the 1930s and manufactured under the trade name Freon, CFCs found wide application after World War II as aerosol-spray propellants, refrigerants, solvents, and foam-blowing agents. CFCs have been found to pose a serious environmental threat, greatly contributing to ozone depletion. In the stratosphere, the CFC molecules are broken down by the action of solar ultraviolet radiation and release their constituent chlorine atoms. These then react with the ozone molecules, resulting in their removal.
