Prelims 2012 · archive
EasyConsider the following statements:
Chlorofluorocarbons, known as ozone-depleting substances, are used:
- 1.In the production of plastic foams.
- 2.In the production of tubeless tyres.
- 3.In cleaning certain electronic components.
- 4.As pressurizing agents in aerosol cans.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1, 3 and 4 only
Only statements 1, 3 and 4 are correct, so the answer is (c). CFCs were used as blowing agents for plastic foams, as solvents for cleaning electronic components, and as aerosol propellants, as well as refrigerants. They were not used in making tubeless tyres.
- ✓ 1. CFCs, mainly CFC-11, were used as blowing agents to produce plastic foams such as insulating polyurethane foam. Both India's Ozone Cell and the UNEP Ozone Secretariat name foam blowing as a CFC use.
- ✗ 2. The CFC uses named by India's Ozone Cell are refrigeration, aerosol propellants, electronic cleaning solvents and foam blowing agents. Tubeless tyre manufacture is not a CFC application.
- ✓ 3. CFCs were used extensively as electronic cleaning solvents; CFC-113 was the best-known solvent CFC. India's Ozone Cell explicitly lists electronic cleaning solvents among CFC uses.
- ✓ 4. CFCs such as CFC-11 and CFC-12 were widely used as propellants, the pressurizing agents in aerosol cans. The UNEP Ozone Secretariat calls aerosol propellant a predominant use of CFC-11.
- ✓ (c) Statements 1, 3 and 4 together give option (c). Options (a) and (d) wrongly include tubeless tyres. Option (b) leaves out the foam and solvent uses.
Remember · CFC uses: refrigerants, aerosol propellants, foam-blowing agents, and solvents for cleaning electronics. Tyres are not a CFC use.
Sources
- Ozone Cell, MoEFCC – Phasing Out CFC in India ↗ “CFCs developed in the early 1930s are non-toxic, non-flammable and are used extensively as coolants for commercial and home refrigeration units, aerosol propellants, electronic cleaning solvents, and blowing agents.”
- Ozone Cell, MoEFCC – The Montreal Protocol: India's Success Story (2016) ↗ “Over the period, CFCs have been used as aerosols, refrigerants, solvents and foam blowing agents in other smaller applications.”
- UNEP Ozone Secretariat – CFC-11 ↗ “CFC-11 was a widely produced man-made chemical with a variety of applications – predominantly as an aerosol propellant, in the production of insulating foams, as a solvent and as a refrigerant for air conditioners.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·