Protecting Our Health and the Ozone Layer
Canada Phases Out CFC MDIs
More than 2.7 million Canadians suffer from asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), placing these diseases among the most frequent health problems in Canada. The use of inhaled medications is the mainstay of treatment for these conditions. Many health care professionals, and their patients, will soon be seeing changes in the inhaled medications available for prescription?specifically, the phase-out of metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) that use chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as propellants.
Your Inhaler is Changing!
To help protect the ozone layer, your inhaler has been changed. Salbutamol MDIs that contained chlorofluorocarbon (or CFC), a gas used to help spray the medicine into your lungs, will no longer be sold in Canada after January 1, 2003. CFCs, while safe for you, harm the ozone layer, and so can no longer be used in inhalers.
Informing Canadians
The Government of Canada, health care professional associations, and the pharmaceutical industry are all making efforts to provide health care professionals and patients with the information they need to stay informed about the transition to CFC-free MDIs. This web site is part of that effort.
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