FBI Warns of Fake Refrigerant Substitutes for Air Conditioners

The FBI is warning people to be on alert for refrigerant substitutes that have not been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.

According to their Web site, some contain propane, which is flammable and can explode or catch fire if, for example, a technician servicing an air conditioner gets too close to the coolant while soldering.

So far, the explosions have been rare.

The problem has cropped up as the U.S. phases out R-22, a chemical used for decades as a refrigerant in air conditioners and refrigerators.

Because R-22 destroys the ozone layer, it is being banned globally under an international treaty.

A phaseout of R-22 has caused prices to skyrocket, increasing the demand for cheaper, unapproved replacements, many of which are made in China and sold on the black market.

The Web site says products like “Super Freeze 22a” have been selling mostly online or over the telephone to home owners and “do-it-yourselfers,” circumventing stores and regulators.

The EPA is guiding the switch over to ozone-friendlier refrigerants, and has listed approved ones on its website and tells the Associated Press it knows of cases in the U.S. and abroad where people have been injured after using unapproved refrigerants in air conditioners.

Additionally, the agency took action against at least one U.S. company in 2013 for selling an unapproved refrigerant that had the potential to explode.