If you listen to Washington, there is no global warming. And the "Greenhouse Effect" is in our minds. However, if you listen to most everyone else, greenhouse gasses are causing a problem. (By the way - doesn't it just seem a lot hotter?)

Several years ago, laws were changed so that it became illegal to release traditional air conditioning coolant into the atmosphere. This coolant, in the case of home air conditioning called R-22, is associated with the depletion of the ozone layer.

It used to be that mechanics would allow refrigerant to freely escape when automobile AC systems were being serviced. Now, there are severe penalties if this occurs. There is even a federal bounty provision, that encourage citizens to report mechanics to the government, for a reward. I do not know if anyone has been paid.

A lot of scientists believe that R-22 is not sufficiently protective of the environment. The problem has historically been that there were no other commercially available options. Until Puron was introduced.

Puron is manufactured by Allied Signal. It is a trade name for a refrigerant called R-410A. Why refrigerants can't have real names instead of numbers is beyond me.

Carrier began offering central air conditioning systems with Puron a few years ago. Bryant now does the same in this country. Japan has already accepted Puron. It is offered by the country's top eight air conditioning manufacturers.

It seems as if these Puron based systems are becoming accepted. Dealers all over the country are now selling and actively promoting them - a sure signal that they work and that there are no major repair issues.

All of which is good news, because Puron is promoted as being environmentally sound - as not threatening our outdoor environment. When Puron was first introduced, I wondered whether people would be willing to take a chance on this then-new technology. Since Puron is starting to saturate the market, switching to it seems less chancy now than two years ago.

Under federal law, the production of R-22 is being reduced. In 2004 ten tons per year will be produced, which is less than the nearly 13 tons actually used in 1997. And as production drops, we might logically assume that the cost of R-22 will rise.

Are you upgrading or replacing your air conditioning system? R-22 is becoming obsolete and may be injurious to our environment. I believe that you should give serious consideration to a system that uses Puron.

Major manufacturers that care about their reputation have offered it for two years now. Dealers throughout the country are actively promoting the product, indicating to me that there are few problems with it. After all, dealers do not want endless call backs and they too have reputations to preserve.

It seems to me that Puron may very well be the air conditioning future. It is worth serious consideration.

The information provided in this column is written by Stuart Lieberman,a practicing environmental attorney, and is for general information purposes only. It is not legal advice and should not be used in place of legal advice.

Stuart Lieberman, Esq., and IRED.Com, Inc., will not accept any responsibilty for any reliance on the information in this column or any damages whatsoever resulting from reading this column.