Is Freon Considered a Hazardous Material?

Question

I was just at Costco and on the 2nd floor, there was heavy condensation and it looked like steam. We found out that it was a HUGE freon leak ... should the fire department have arrived, and should have the fire alarms been activated?

There were no signs of any police or fire personnel on location..

Answer 1

Freon is considered a hazardous material.

Even the most stable formulas of Freon (which is actually a "family" of materials) can displace ordinary air, leading to suffocation.  Further, Freon involves flourinated hydrocarbons, which are notoriously likely to interact with iron (i.e. your hemoglobin) to do more than simply displace the air. The Freon can actually block hemoglobin from carrying oxygen by tying up the sites where this carrying occurs.

Answer 2

Aside for the environmental issues surrounding freon, it can be lethal in a confined space, such as a building (even the size of CostCo).  As the freon fill the space, it displaces oxygen which we obviously need to breathe.  In addition, freon itself is quite toxic.  I would have considered this to be a serious incident with potential for injury.

Answer 3

Freon is hazerous.  You should not have even been around it when you figure it out because just breathing it can be hazardous.