Word: cfc
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...appliances as well as food, has been a leader in marketing freezers and refrigerators that don't damage the atmospheric ozone layer, which protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Old models were cooled by chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which can seep out and attack the ozone. And early CFC substitutes, though less destructive, were still not ideal. Last year Iceland brought out a brand of appliances cooled by isobutane, which does no harm to the atmosphere. On the food front, Walker tries to be a purist. He's been in the vanguard of the European campaign against genetically altered...
Veronica Chase--Nikki, to her friends--is the only black member of the Harvard Economics Department. As an assistant professor, Nikki is sinking beneath the weight of research and teaching responsibilities, but her efforts have resulted in her appointment to the Crimson Future Committee (CFC), a prestigious, interdisciplinary group whose members are paving the way towards Harvard's financial security in the twenty-first century. All appears to be well with the CFC--that is, until Nikki stumbles over the dead body of Law School committee member Ella Fisher after a late meeting in Littauer on a rainy night...
...result: paint without carcinogenic volatile organic compounds; carpeting that is dye-free, glue-free and 100% wool, with padding made from jute and animal hair; subfloors made from Homasote, a recycled-newspaper product, instead of formaldehyde-laden plywood; floor tiles fabricated from crushed light bulbs; a CFC-free insulation made from common minerals; and a reception desk built of maple and of mahogany that was harvested in a manner that does not destroy rain forests...
...sustainable development is already emerging unheralded from the intersection of biotechnology and biological diversity. Pharmaceutical companies already reap huge sales from this or that wild and wonderful molecule discovered in the natural variety of plant and animal life. Natural or genetically enhanced organisms aid with environmental cleanup. A CFC-eating bacterium was recently found in sediments of the Potomac River. A basic laboratory for biotechnology and diagnostic medicine uses a heat- resistant enzyme derived from a bacterium native to Yellowstone hot springs. Upward of nearly $100 billion of annual economic activity is generated at this intersection of biotechnology and biological...
...change won't faze major manufacturers of chlorofluorocarbons, the main chemical culprits in the ozone-destruction scenario. Such firms have already developed ozone-friendlier substances, and can take the new deadline in stride. The real burden, both technical and financial, will fall on makers of CFC-reliant appliances like refrigerators and air-conditioning systems. They will be under pressure to quickly modify their products to accommodate the substitute chemicals -- a process destined to make such appliances more costly to consumers...