Outdoor & Yard / Compounds / R-152a (1,1-Difluoroethane / HFC-152a)

R-152a (1,1-Difluoroethane / HFC-152a) in the yard and garden

Moderate risk for your yard

Low toxicity at normal use levels, but severe inhalant abuse risk. Sudden cardiac death from intentional inhalation of canned air/dusters. Flammable — fire risk with aerosol products near ignition sources.

What is r-152a (1,1-difluoroethane / hfc-152a)?

Also known as: DIBROMODIFLUOROMETHANE, 75-61-6, Difluorodibromomethane, Halon 1202.

CAS number
75-37-6
Molecular formula
C2H4F2
Molecular weight
66.05 g/mol
SMILES
C(F)(F)(Br)Br
PubChem CID
6382

Risk for people, pets,

Moderate risk

Low toxicity at normal use levels, but severe inhalant abuse risk. Sudden cardiac death from intentional inhalation of canned air/dusters. Flammable — fire risk with aerosol products near ignition sources.

Regulatory consensus

5 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified R-152a (1,1-Difluoroethane / HFC-152a). The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EU F GAS—Subject to F-gas regulation but below 150 GWP threshold for many exemptions
EPA SNAP—Acceptable as substitute in aerosols, foam blowing, refrigeration
ASHRAE 34—A2 — lower toxicity, flammable
CPSC—Bitterant (denatonium benzoate) required in US canned air products since some manufacturers adopted voluntarily
GHS—Flammable gas Category 1, Gas under pressure

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where your yard encounter r-152a (1,1-difluoroethane / hfc-152a)

  • Aerosol Dusters — Canned air / gas dusters for electronics cleaning — largest consumer exposure route
  • Aerosol Propellant — Personal care sprays, spray paints, household aerosols
  • Foam Blowing — XPS foam insulation boards, spray foam
  • Automotive Ac — Considered as R-134a replacement (not yet widely adopted due to flammability)
  • Refrigeration — Domestic refrigerators in some markets

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to R-152a (1,1-Difluoroethane / HFC-152a):

  • R-1234ze(E)
    Trade-offs: Removes 95-99% of dissolved contaminants including metals, PFAS, nitrates; wastes 2-4 gallons per gallon produced (improving with newer systems); removes beneficial minerals; $0.05-0.25/gallon; requires pre-treatment for longevity.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Compressed air
    Trade-offs: Labor-intensive; effective for small-scale or precision applications; no chemical residues; not scalable to large commercial operations without significant cost increase.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • R-744 (CO2)
    Trade-offs: Removes 95-99% of dissolved contaminants including metals, PFAS, nitrates; wastes 2-4 gallons per gallon produced (improving with newer systems); removes beneficial minerals; $0.05-0.25/gallon; requires pre-treatment for longevity.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is r-152a (1,1-difluoroethane / hfc-152a) safe for your yard?

Low toxicity at normal use levels, but severe inhalant abuse risk. Sudden cardiac death from intentional inhalation of canned air/dusters. Flammable — fire risk with aerosol products near ignition sources.

What products contain r-152a (1,1-difluoroethane / hfc-152a)?

R-152a (1,1-Difluoroethane / HFC-152a) appears in: Canned air / gas dusters for electronics cleaning — largest consumer exposure route (Aerosol Dusters); Personal care sprays, spray paints, household aerosols (Aerosol Propellant); XPS foam insulation boards, spray foam (Foam Blowing).

Why do regulators disagree about r-152a (1,1-difluoroethane / hfc-152a)?

R-152a (1,1-Difluoroethane / HFC-152a) has been classified by 5 agencies including EU F GAS, EPA SNAP, ASHRAE 34, CPSC, GHS, with differing conclusions. Regulators apply different standards of evidence (animal data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds), which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.

See R-152a (1,1-Difluoroethane / HFC-152a) in the outdoor app

Look up products containing r-152a (1,1-difluoroethane / hfc-152a), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in outdoor View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. — expert_curation

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →