aerosol

Particles of liquid or solid suspended in a gas. Fog is a common natural example. Aerosol cans contain material packed under pressure with a device for releasing it as a fine spray. Most aerosols used chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as propellants until these were found to cause destruction of the ozone layer in the stratosphere.

The international community agreed to phase out the use of CFCs. However, the early so-called ‘ozone-friendly’ replacement aerosols were found to also use ozone-depleting chemicals, although they are not as destructive as CFCs. Some of the products sprayed, such as pesticides, can be directly toxic to humans.