What happened to R-22 is that it was phased out globally due to its ozone depletion potential under the Montreal Protocol. R-22, also called HCFC-22 or Freon-22, was the most widely used residential air conditioning refrigerant for decades from the 1950s onward because it was efficient and relatively safe. However, scientists discovered that HCFCs containing chlorine damage the stratospheric ozone layer, leading to international agreement to phase them out. Developed countries froze production, then reduced quotas, and finally banned production and import of virgin R-22 from January 1, 2020, allowing only reclaimed and recycled R-22 from recovered equipment to service existing systems. Developing countries have a later phase-out schedule ending around 2030. As a result, R-22 supplies have become scarce and expensive, new equipment using R-22 is no longer manufactured, and the industry transitioned first to R-410A and now to lower global warming refrigerants like R-32 and R-454B. It is illegal to vent R-22 and technicians must be certified to handle it. So R-22 went from dominant refrigerant to obsolete legacy refrigerant available only as reclaimed stock for old systems, with owners encouraged to replace systems.
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