How is ozone beneficial and damaging? How can we prevent the damaging effect of ozone?
Dear Student,
Ozone is a trioxygen molecule chemically expressed as O3. The ozone layer is part of the Stratosphere layer of the Earth's atmosphere. It is present approximately 10 km above the surface of the Earth. It is extremely rich in ozone which has the property to block UV rays from reaching the Earth's surface and thus protecting the planet from harmful effects of UV rays.
Beneficial use of ozone
Ozone is very important gas as it absorbs ultra violet radiation of sun and hence protect living beings from the adverse effect of U.V radiation.
Ozone Depletion:-
Chloro fluoro carbon of general formula CXFyHz is responsible for ozone depletion. In the presence of high energetic rays, fluorine free radical is generated, which break ozone molecule to oxygen causing depletion of ozone layer.
Effects of ozone depletion:-
Few are the deleterious effects of ozone depletion.
skin cancer
Eye damage such as cataracts
Damage to the immune system of humans
Damage to the DNA that may result in mutation.
Damage to the plants.
Damage to the marine life
Prevention of Ozone depletion:-
Ozone layer depletion can be prevented by avoiding causes that are responsible for creating hole in ozone layer. For example: Main cause of this is Chloro fluoro carbon (CFC) which is present as a main gas in refrigerator, air conditioner etc. So avoiding the use of these instrument and searching for alternate options of cooling in these instrument can prevent the ozone layer depletion.
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