OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Washington’s Department of Ecology is levying a big fine against Home Depot for selling a refrigerant known as a “super pollutant.”
Hydroflourocarbon, or HFC, products have been used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems and can leak into the atmosphere from faulty or damaged equipment.
Ecology says the chemicals have climate impacts hundreds of thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide.
State lawmakers passed legislation in 2019 and 2021 phases them out, and Ecology says most manufacturers have switched to safer chemicals.
The department says it has worked with Home Depot to end its sale of HFCs, but the retailer has continued to offer them to the public. It has levied a $1.6 million fine against the company, which Home Depot has 30 days to appeal.
