Chapter 03 of 5
Poison in the Pantry
Deadly early refrigerants, the chemist who found a safer one, and the hole in the sky.
- The 1920s
A Dangerous Convenience
The first home fridges used refrigerants that were toxic or flammable. A leaking pipe was a real hazard in a closed kitchen.
- Early Fluids
Three Bad Options
Ammonia, sulfur dioxide and methyl chloride all worked as refrigerants, and all were harmful to breathe.
- The Hazard
Leaks Happen
Early seals and joints failed often, and leaks in unventilated homes could harm the people inside.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
Why did chemists develop CFC refrigerants such as Freon in the late 1920s?
❄️ Your Fridge Doesn't Make Cold
- 01Cold Is Not a ThingWhy a fridge moves heat instead of making cold, and how we got there from frozen lakes.
- 02The Loop Inside the WallThe four-step cycle that pumps heat out of your food.
- 03Poison in the PantryDeadly early refrigerants, the chemist who found a safer one, and the hole in the sky.
- 04The Cold RevolutionHow cheap cold changed meat, fruit, shopping and medicine.
- 05Cooling Without a CompressorDesert ice houses, clay pots and Einstein's silent fridge.