ALL WILL PAY FOR CHANGES IN CLEAN AIR REGULATIONS

Clean air is a commodity that everyone wants. But it's not as simple as wanting clean air. All of us will have to pay a price to clean up the environment.

Provisions of the federal Clean Air Act, which take effect today, bring some sweeping changes to businesses that deal in refrigeration. There's no doubt these regulations will drive up the cost of doing business, and these additional costs will be passed on to consumers. Some of those cost increases will be obvious; others are more hidden.

These regulations will increase the cost of repairing air conditioners and refrigerators. Brace yourself. As of today, those costs could more than double.

The new federal legislation requires that refrigerant gases must be captured and recycled, rather than released into the atmosphere. Machinery affected ranges from household and commercial refrigerators and coolers to automobile air conditioners.

The obvious costs will be repair bills for refrigerators and car air conditioners. Many of the hidden costs will come from grocery stores and other businesses that must install costly new refrigeration systems. Converting chillers can also be an expensive proposition.

The legislation takes aim at curbing chloroflurocarbons, known as CFCs. Some scientitst say these chemicals damage the ozone layer, which blocks the sun's harmful effects. Other scientitsts hotly dispute this alleged effect.

Under the new regulations, businesses that repair refrigeration machinery must buy costly reclamation equipment. The gases will then be shipped to manufacturers for recycling. Contractors must now find and fix all leaks, instead of simply adding new refrigerant.

The new restrictions also limit who can make these repairs. By the end of the year, refrigerant for air conditioner repairs won't be available to anyone other than licensed contractors and mechanics. Do-it-yourselfers are pretty much squeezed out of the market.

Implementation of the Clean Air Act began in 1990, with various provisions scheduled to be phased in through 1995. The legislation has been a challenge to business, and has brought additional costs to consumers.

Part of the frustration of the new rules is the discord about the dangers of chorofluorocarbonds. The threat should be well documented before untold millions of dollars are spent for alternatives and cleanup. The hysteria over dioxin destroyed the town of Times Beach in Missouri. It wasn't long after that some scientists questioned the dangers of dioxin. The same may hold true for PCBs. Millions are being spent for cleanup while the dangers are still debated. We should approach these chemicals with fact, not frenzy.

Clean air is worth pursuing. But we must realize expenses that business and industry incur will be passed on to consumers. The same is true for recycling and other environmental protection measures. It's a price we all must be willing to bear.