Ozone
Depletion
Earth’s atmosphere is made up of several layers
of gases. One of these layers, the Ozone Layer, is important to
us in that it acts as a shield or filter against ultraviolet (UV)
rays from the sun. Without the Ozone Layer, or with a thinner Ozone
Layer, there would be increased UV radiation reaching the planet’s
surface which would lead to a greater chance of overexposure to
UV radiation and the related health effects of skin cancer, cataracts,
and a reduction in the competence of immune systems.
In the 1980s, scientists began accumulating data
that showed that the ozone layer was growing thinner or was being
“depleted”. There are chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons
or CFCs, that act as a catalyst to break down the ozone into materials
that do not act as a shield or filter against the UV rays.
When this information became known, XPSA members
responded quickly by phasing out CFCs in extruded polystyrene insulation.
XPSA members now use alternative blowing agents known as HCFCs which
have more than 90% fewer ozone depletion properties compared with
the preceding CFC blowing agents.
Blowing Agent Conversion
Plastic foam insulation uses blowing agents to help
expand the foam and give it many of the excellent physical properties
that it possesses. These blowing agents are many and varied depending
on the type of foam (expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene,
polyisocyanurate) and the end use (insulation, floral and craft
market, marine buoyancy, etc.).
For decades, there has been a growing concern that
certain types of blowing agents, especially those know as CFCs,
or chlorofluorocarbons, caused damage to the Earth’s ozone
layer, the protective layer of atmosphere that helps shield us from
harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun. During the late 1980s and
early 1990s, manufacturers of foam insulation stopped using CFC
blowing agents and started using materials called hydrochlorofluorocarbons
( HCFCs). This conversion from CFCs to HCFCs reduced the amount
of material potentially present for ozone layer depletion by more
than 90% from the manufacture of foam plastic insulation.
By 2010, XPSA member companies will undergo another
blowing agent conversion. This is because HCFC blowing agents will
no longer be available for use in foam plastic insulation per Montreal
Protocol deadlines. There are no immediate technically-feasible
replacement materials available for this conversion as was the case
during the switch from CFCs to HCFCs in the late 1980’s/early
1990’s. Research on alternative blowing agents has been in
progress for quite a few years and is focusing on retention of R-value
and other existing physical properties of XPS products.
Global Warming
Global warming, sometimes referred to as global
climate change, is one of the most debated environmental concerns
of our time. The continuing increase in green house gas concentration
in the Earth’s atmosphere is a cause for concern and the XPSA
believes in the importance of taking reasonable and well thought
out action to reduce these emissions.
There are two ways in which XPSA member companies
are committed to reducing atmospheric emissions that contribute
to global warming.
The first is to minimize the emissions associated
with our products. This is being achieved by reducing the energy
consumption within our plants and by creating climate-neutral (or
better) product solutions for our customers.
The second is to provide quality insulation products
that will help reduce energy usage in buildings. This benefits
the environment by reducing carbon dioxied (CO2)
emissions from power plants. CO2
is a key gas implicated in global climate change.
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