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Insulation: Pollution

Volume 479: debated on Monday 21 July 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the rate of natural leakage of ozone-depleting substances from plastic foam insulation. (219467)

The estimated emission rates from foam insulation in buildings and appliances have been documented by the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel of the Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer.

Although the annual emission rates vary by product type, they are typically very low. This is particularly the case from insulation foams and is because of their closed cell structure. This understanding has been substantiated by measurements made on aged refrigerators containing chlorofluorocarbons.