Costa Rica Bans All Aerosol Spray Cans to Protect the Ozone Layer?

Costa Rica is genuinely one of the world's most environmentally progressive nations — it has set aside nearly 25% of its land as national parks and reserves, consistently ranks highly on international environmental performance indices, and has ambitious carbon-neutrality goals. This strong green reputation may be partly responsible for the myth taking hold. The country did take real action on ozone-depleting chemicals: it ratified the Vienna Convention (Ley 7228) and the Montreal Protocol (Ley 7223) in 1991, and enacted Executive Decree No. 35676-S-H-MAG-MINAET to regulate and phase out ozone-depleting substances (ODS). CFCs — the class of chemicals historically used as aerosol propellants — were fully banned from import by 2010. However, this is identical to the obligations taken on by all 197 signatories of the Montreal Protocol, which is the first universally ratified treaty in UN history. Modern aerosol cans do not use CFCs; they use hydrocarbon propellants (butane, propane) or compressed CO₂. These products are sold freely throughout Costa Rica. No legislation, regulation, or decree creates a general ban on aerosol spray cans, nor are Costa Rica's penalties uniquely strict compared to other nations. The likely origin of this myth is a confused reading of Costa Rica's Montreal Protocol compliance — misinterpreted as a quirky national aerosol ban — then amplified by 'weird laws' listicle websites that rarely cite primary sources.