Without the ozone layer, life on Earth would not be possible because it protects us from the sun's harmful rays. UV rays from the sun can cause health problems, like skin cancer. And although the body has natural defense mechanisms to offset harmful UV rays, too many rays can still overwhelm your body's defenses.
Ozone is formed by a reaction between the UV rays of the sun and oxygen gas. The UV ray's energy can break the bond in oxygen gas, forming two oxygen atoms. The oxygen atoms can then bond with oxygen gas that has not been reacted with the UV rays, forming Ozone. Ozone will then react with more UV rays to produce oxygen gas and oxygen atoms. This set of reactions creates a cycle that acts as a body guard to the sun's UV rays and converts them into harmless heat through exothermic reactions. Over 90% of the Earth's ozone is found in the ozone layer. But although ozone is a gas found in the ozone layer, other gases are found there, such as oxygen and water.
Chemicals, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) attribute to the depletion of ozone in the stratosphere, and scientists believe that this can lead to global warming. CFCs can be found in styrofoam, aerosol cans, and other househeld products...
http://science.howstuffworks.com/ozone-layer.htm
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/Ozone/ozonelayer.html
3 comments:
I heard somewhere that Freon, (which is a trademarked name) which is in you fridge as a coolant, is a contributor to a problem as well when people trash their fridge. It's funny how consumerism encourages us to forget about the environment.
I agree with Vik. People still use aerosol cans and hairsprays that are toxic. These items have been known to cause damage to the environment for decades, maybe we as a society should have less emphasis on things and looks...it probably won't happen soon enough, but it is a dream.
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