US environmental regulators tighten access to a key refrigerant chemical

US environmental regulators have renewed or denied special access to hydrofluorocarbons for six specific uses. This means some industries will find it harder to get these chemicals, which are potent greenhouse gases.

For years, some industries could get special permission to use hydrofluorocarbons, even as the US phased them out. This rule tightens those exceptions. It means companies that relied on these chemicals for specific applications, like certain medical devices or military equipment, will now face stricter limits or need to find alternatives faster. This is part of a global effort to reduce these chemicals, which are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide.