Even if this weren't true, just look at the freon-12 and -22 issue. Most of it is still being used in closed systems. However, in the past, it was used as a propellent in just about every spray can and was even used in a jig that chilled your cocktail glasses before you poured yourself a drink. With gross tonnages literally being blown into the atmosphere, of COURSE it would start to accumulate and perhaps interact with atmospheric chemical reactions. So why didn't they just eliminate SOME of the uses of these products instead of a wholesale ban? Billions have been spent to replace a nontoxic and cheap product that worked just fine for air conditioning and cooling.

The Greenpeace site gives their viewpoint:
http://www.greenpeace.org/~ozone/

The HVAC Industry viewpoint is at:
http://www.hvacmall.com/news/news_government.htm

The Surface Cleaning Laboratory has information at:
http://www.cleaning.org/HTMLSrc/FactSheet2.html

The US Environmental Protection Agency site has information (search "Montreal Protocol" and "methyl chloroform"):
http://www.epa.gov

I too believe the R-12 scare was DuPont's way of keeping the profits up. And even if you believe the R-12 thing was bad what about R-22. Sure you can point to car A/C systems losing their charge but R-22 was used in Refrigerators and such...how many of those leaked out?

In any event, it was handled very piss-poorly. If the EPA thinks (not something I would accuse them of) that a substance may cause environmental harm, Like R-12 R-22 then simply stop the manufactur and import of the things that use it. Through attrition, the demand will drop. It would have been much smoother but DuPont wouldn't have been able to cash in on R134a like it did and does.

The EPA is one of those good ideas run amuck. I think the environment needs to be protected from industry but there doesn't seem to be any check on the EPA from going haywire.