It’s taken a while, but the millions of patients using propelled inhalers have finally, and reluctantly made the switch from CFC- propelled inhalers to HFA-propelled inhalers.

The change in law legally occurred on the last day of December last year. Fundamentally, the intent for the change in the law was for environmental reasons. The old CFC inhalers used chlorofluorocarbon. Studies have shown that chlorofluorocarbon is one of the major culprits in depleting the ozone in the atmosphere. What happens is that when these inhalers are used, when the person exhales, he exhales the CFC also. When the CFC hits the atmosphere, ultraviolet light breaks them down. This is what causes the ozone to be depleted.

The United States is one of the last of the major industrialized nations to implement the change. Countries such as Canada, Europe, and Japan had all previously made the change.

U.S. citizens use drugs every year for things llike dog allergy symptoms, tree pollen allergies, and sulfa allergy symptoms. And even though the law changed last year to prevent the old inhalers from being produced and sold, many patients undoubtedly are still using some of the older ones that they purchased prior to this year.

According to the FDA, HFA, or hydrofluoroalkane, is much a much friendlier substance to the environment than CFC.

For users of the new HFA inhalers, the biggest difference that they have noticed is that the inhaler tends to get clogged more frequently whereas with the older inhalers, this was not much of a problem. The other change, from a patient standpoint, is that the taste is a bit different.

It might seem that the tiny amount of propellant in each inhaler wouldn’t make a big difference. But there are million of these inhalers in use around the world each year. Because of this, the change is anticipated to radically diminish the amount of damage done to the environment each year as well as over the long term..

Disclaimer: The information on this website is intended for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a substitute for personal care by a licensed physician. Always see your physician for diagnosis and treatment of any concerning symptoms or medical condition.