Phase-Out of CFC Metered-Dose Inhalers

Metered dose inhalers (MDIs) that contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are being phased out. Manufacturers use CFCs as propellants to move the medicine out of the inhaler so patients can breathe the medicine into their lungs. CFCs are harmful to the environment because they decrease the protective ozone layer above the Earth. The United States, along with most other countries, are eliminating CFCs because of an international agreement, called Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. 

Many manufacturers have reformulated or are reformulating their inhalers so they don’t contain CFCs. Most CFC inhalers already have been phased out. The CFC inhalers that are still available are scheduled to be phased out in the coming years. 

Patients will need to talk to their health care professionals and switch to another medicine before the phase-out of their CFC inhalers is completed.