Many old fridges contain chemicals called Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which damage the Earth's ozone layer.

BBC: Ghana bans second-hand fridges

Polychlorinated biphenyls, (PCBs), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and DDT are also organochlorine compounds which, although banned or discredited, are still evident in the environment.

CNN: Chemicals killing Florida birds, fish

Those gases originate from man-made products like chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which were phased out under a global agreement two decades ago but continue to linger in the atmosphere.

CNN: Ozone hole grows in 2008

As part of an agreement among nearly 200 nations 23 years ago, the United States agreed to prohibit chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which are implicated in depleting the ozone layer.

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