If you work with motor vehicle air conditioning (MVAC) systems, you need to be up to speed on Section 609 of the EPA’s Clean Air Act. But, what is it exactly, why does it matter, and how can you get certified? We have some answers.
Few things make a car as unpleasant to drive as a broken air conditioning system. If you’ve ever road-tripped south of the Mason-Dixon line, you know what I mean, or you can at least imagine it. We take temperature-controlled vehicles for granted.
Another thing we take for granted? The ozone layer. Without the high concentration of ozone in the Earth’s stratosphere, we’d have nothing protecting us from the sun’s harmful UV radiation—the same radiation that causes sunburns and skin cancer.
Unfortunately, for several decades, humanity didn’t realize these two things—motor vehicle air conditioning systems and the ozone layer—might be connected. And so we relied on chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting substances to keep ourselves cool as we drove along I-10 playing air guitar to “Sweet Home Alabama.” It wasn’t until the 1970s that scientists discovered the link between CFCs and widening holes in the ozone layer. And it wasn’t until 1990 that the United States amended the Clean Air Act to curb CFC emissions. Since then, professionals who work with MVAC systems have been required to use particular materials and follow specific procedures to do their jobs safely.
What Is Section 609, and Why Do You Need to Be Certified?
The federal laws governing these rules are Sections 608 and 609 of the Clean Air Act. The law is overseen and enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Section 609 covers the following:
- MVAC technician training and certification
- safe disposal of air conditioning equipment
- the use of EPA-approved equipment in MVAC work
- MVAC equipment certification
- MVAC service recordkeeping
- restrictions on the sale of small cans of CFC-12
You need to be certified in Section 609 before you can work with MVAC systems. And here at KPA, we have the training you need.
As part of our library of award-winning training programs, we offer an interactive, online Section 609 certification course. Watch the video to learn more and sample the course.
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