China To Outlaw Chlorofluorocarbons

China said Friday it will ban chlorofluorocarbons after this year, joining other countries in ending use of the chemicals blamed for thinning the Earth’s protective ozone layer.

The ban was announced at a news conference by officials of the industrial, environmental and chemical ministries, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Many countries agreed in 1987 to phase out chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which were commonly used as propellants in aerosol cans and as refrigerants. Poor countries had argued that they needed extra time to adapt because they lacked the technology and money to introduce alternatives.