Freon

Dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12), usually sold under the brand name Freon-12, is a chlorofluorocarbon halomethane used as a refrigerant and aerosol spray propellant until its manufacture was discontinued in 1995, due to concerns about damage to the ozone layer. The ozone depletion potential of R-12 is 0.82, which is relatively high.

The use of chlorofluorocarbons as an aerosol in medicine, for example: USP-approved Albuterol, has been phased out by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The use of a different propellant known as hydrofluoroalkane, or HFA, which does not harm the environment has been chosen as the replacement.

The complete, up-to-date and editable article about Freon can be found at Wikipedia: Freon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichlorodifluoromethane