It belongs to the hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) family of man-made compounds that contribute significantly to both ozone depletion and global warming when released into the environment.

It is a class 2 ozone depleting substance undergoing a global phaseout from production and use under the Montreal Protocol since the late 1990s.

[6] This is low compared to the ODP=1 of trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11, R-11), which also grew about ten times more abundant in the atmosphere prior to introduction of HFC-141b and subsequent adoption of the Montreal Protocol.

It has an estimated lifetime of about 10 years and a 100-year global warming potential ranging 725 to 2500.

[7][8] This compares to the GWP=1 of carbon dioxide, which had a much greater atmospheric concentration near 400 parts per million in year 2020.