How Does Bromothane™ Compare to HCFC-225?

In our opinion, HCFC-225 is not a great choice for most cleaning applications. But to be fair, it has a few good points. It's a moderately powerful. It works well in vapor degreasers. It is not flammable. It is not as aggressive on plastics as some other popular cleaners. Perhaps most importantly, it is not classified as a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) so the air-quality regulators in Southern California think it is an excellent choice.

So what are the problems? First and foremost, HCFC-225 is an ozone-depleting substance. Specifically, it is a Class II Ozone-Depleting Substance under the U.S. Clean Air Act. It's already banned in Europe and has a phase-out date of 2010 in the U.S. So after doing all the work to specify a new cleaner, you soon will be faced with repeating the project to specify something that is completely ozone-safe.

Secondly, HCFC-225 is has a fairly limited product line. There are very few blends which enhance or expand the cleaning performance of the product. It is a more aggressive cleaner than the -225 products and comes in a whole family of choices, plus carrying agents and lubricants, allowing engineers to tailor the chemistries to their applications. In our opinion, that makes Bromothane™ solvents a better option for most applications.

HCFC-225 has some toxicity worries due to one of the HCFC-225 isomers which is substantially more toxic than the other (although it normally is present in the solvent at very low levels). So while Bromothane™ solvents have a low toxicity rating (even lower than -225) the solvent comes with MicroCare's unique product stewardship program that enforces good handling techniques and keeps workers safe.

While it is a very slight ozone-depleting solvent it is not listed in the Montreal Protocol as a Class II O.D.S. It has better global warming characteristics than HCFC-225, but it contains 100% VOC compounds so in that regard the two products tie.

Plus, Bromothane™ solvents are about half the price of the HCFC-225  cleaners, if anybody is keeping track.

In our humble opinion, HCFC-225 is yesterday's news. Select Bromothane™™ for a cleaner you can use today, tomorrow and for years to come.

Updated: Jan 5, 2004
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