FREON ON ITS WAY OUT; CONVESION TO NEW COOLANT COSTLY

At one time, auto technicians and "shade-tree" mechanics never thought about capturing and recycling the refrigerant R-12 Freon.

That all changed in 1992 with the passage of the Clean Air Act.

The R-12 Freon has since been linked to possible ozone depletion, leading to increased ultraviolet radiation. This, the government says, increases the risk of skin cancer and other diseases.

Freon, the R-12 variety, has been on its way out since.

Under government mandate, production of R-12 Freon started a phase-out following the Clean Air Act, and production was halted in January of this year.

"There's still a lot of R-12 Freon available," said Leroy Bellinger, assistant manager at Purcell Tire and Rubber Co., 2135 William in Cape Girardeau. "But it can be purchased only by people licensed to repair air-conditioners."

American manufacturers can no longer produce R-12, but the use of it may continue until the supplies run out.

Businesses with access to Freon must have equipment to capture the coolant so that it doesn't go into the air.

With the eventual demise of R-12 Freon, a new 134A Freon -- approved by the EPA -- is in the marketplace.

The new 134A is just as cool and may cost less.

But many of the cars and trucks on the road are geared to the R-12 variety.

The switch from R-12 to 134A in new car production started in 1992, but it wasn't until two years later that the transition was completed.

The older vehicles can be changed over to the new coolant, said Bellinger.

But the transition can be expensive. It's not just a matter of draining out the old coolant and replacing it with the new.

"I takes a new air compressor, dryer and other attachments," said Bellinger. "Costs can vary according to make and model of the vehicle."

Conversion costs can range from $450 to more than $1,100.

But the new 134A Freon is normally less expensive than the R-12 coolant.

A pound of R-12 usually retails for about $35, although motorists can sometimes find a $24.50 special. A pound of the new 134A starts at about $27.50, but $20 specials can be found.

Government officials say that the cost of the new coolant will decrease.

The Worldwide Mobile Air Conditioning Society, headquartered in Pennsylvania, estimated that as many as 30 million cars still use the R-12 Freon.

Vehicle owners can check the type of coolant required by looking at a label under the hood which identifies the coolant.

As R-12 prices continue to increase -- from $7 a pound two years ago up to $35 a pound now -- and the coolant becomes scarce, reports of Freon thefts have increased.

There have also been reports of Freon being smuggled into the U.S. from other countries, where it is still being made and sold for less money.

Foreign made R-12 Freon, however, has more contaminants than the previously U.S.-produced coolant, said Bellinger.

One retailer in Belize City in Central America is currently offering a 30-pound canister for $100, Belize money.

A full-page ad with the special prices appeared in a Belize City newspaper recently.

"That's cheap," said Alan Gerecke, of Gerecke's Automotive Service in Fruitland. "That $100 in Belize money is about $50 in U.S. currency."

That same canister of Freon would retail in the U.S. for $750 to $1,000.

Gerecke, who has visited Belize, a small country, on the southeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, maintains a contact with friends there.

He does not buy or sell Freon, but is familiar with all the rules and regulations concerning the coolant. "And I can convert cars to the new 134A coolant," he said.

Theft of Freon has increased over the past two years.

One of the largest Freon theft cases was one recently reported by Ford Motor Co. in northern Mississippi.

Four hundred 30-pound cylinders of the R-12 freon were taken from a Ford facility in Olive Branch, Miss., just south of Memphis, Tenn. The Freon, on its way to a car-manufacturing facility in Detroit, was stolen July 5.

About 75 percent of the stolen Freon was recovered July 17 when 275 of the canisters were found in a Memphis storage facility and 42 were found across the Mississippi River at a West Memphis, Ark., business.

According to Memphis police records, 19 Freon thefts were reported in 1995, and 10 thus far into 1996.

Some instances of Freon theft have been reported at Cape Girardeau.