Fake R410A refrigerant mixed R40 with R32
9th December 2025
CANADA: The Canadian government has revealed that the recently discovered fake refrigerant was a mixture of R32 and the potentially lethal methyl chloride (R40).
The Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a warning after discovering quantities of the fake gas last week.
Correct R410A to the AHRI 700 standard is a 50/50 blend of the flammable refrigerant R32 and R125. The R125 is included as a suppressant to ensure R410A can be classified as non-flammable.
The combination of R40 with the flammable R32 is particularly worrying. R40 is extremely flammable and corrosive. It can react with aluminium in HVAC systems, forming trimethyl aluminium, a liquid at room temperature which ignites spontaneously on contact with air.
In 2011/12, blends of R40 and non-flammable R22, falsely labelled and sold as R134a, were responsible for a number of explosions and deaths around the world. The issue was a particular problem in the refrigerated container industry and led to the grounding of thousands of reefers around the world.
The ECCC has confirmed that the fake R410A, sold in generic packaging in non-refillable cylinders, originated from China.
While no incidents have been reported in Canada, the ECCC says it is sharing this information to raise awareness of the issue and prevent incidents from occurring.
Commenting on the use of the fake R410 within HVAC systems, the ECCC said: “Exposing such a system’s contents to air or moisture (eg via servicing) could produce a strong acid and explosive chemical reactions.
“The Government of Canada is working to inform HVAC technicians, service providers and refrigerant importers of the situation to minimise the risks of these chemicals unknowingly being used and to prevent further imports of counterfeit refrigerants. The HVAC industry can avoid counterfeit refrigerants by inspecting their refrigerant supply, ensuring their refrigerant supply chain is accountable and only purchasing refrigerants from authorised distributors.”
Related stories:
Canada warns of potentially lethal counterfeit R410A – 4 December 2025
CANADA: Authorities in Canada have discovered counterfeit cylinders of R410A refrigerant containing potentially lethal methyl chloride. Read more…
