ental concerns reached a fever pitch during the late 1980s and early 1990s as recycling programs appeared in neighborhoods and schools, and industries scrambled to comply with new environmental legislation that threatened parts of their operations.
During the 1970s, the Environmental Protection Agency identified chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as potentially dangerous to the ozone layer and to the health of human beings. By 1978, the use of CFCs in consumer products had been abolished. At the time, the banning of CFCs was seen as potentially damaging to businesses. A 1980 SN cover story addressed the issue. The EPA had proposed a ban on non-aerosol CFCs for the second time in three years; the first proposed ban had been vehemently opposed by industry organizations and refrigerated equipment manufacturers. Again in 1980 equipment manufacturers appealed to food-industry organizations for support in opposing the EPA's proposed ban.
It wasn't until 1990 that CFCs were included via special amendment under the Clean Air Act, which initially passed in the 1970s. As a result, retailers and wholesalers scrambled to replace their refrigerated systems by the end of 1995.