Ozone Depletion
Ozone Depletion and Indoor Air Pollution
Nainsi McKinney
5/14/13
Ozone depletion is a very serious issue that is almost fully the fault of humans and the ozone is going to continue to thin if changes are not made. Chemicals that are used in everyday life are primarily responsible for the ozone loss; compounds called chlorofluorocarbons such as Freon and Styrofoam when used as a foam blowing agent for insulation (WileyPlus,Chap.9. Global Atmospheric Changes.) There are other contributors such as nitrous oxide that is released when fossil fuels are burned, certain pesticides, and halons which are used as fire retardants. All of these things are human made and are being released into the atmosphere because of the human race and can be changed to slow the thinning of the ozone in the stratosphere. As the ozone layer thins it can cause a chain of negative events that can cause a lot of health issues, not only for humans but for entire ecosystems as well (WileyPlus,Chap.9.Global Atmospheric Changes.) The thinning increases the amount of UV radiation that gets through to the Earths surface increases health risks such as skin cancer, cataracts, and weakened immune systems making it harder for humans to fight of bacteria and viruses. The increase in UV radiation affects the marine ecosystems; exposure to the increased solar radiation has been shown to slow down productivity and therefore decreased the survival of some species in the oceans (www.epa.gov/ozone/science/effects.) Indoor air pollution is even more detrimental to human health then ozone depletion is causing a wide variety of illnesses depending on the location and circumstances. In some cases homes can contain higher levels of air pollutants than the outside air does (WileyPlus,Chap.8.Air and Air Pollution.) Some of the most common contaminants are things that we have control over bringing into our homes like cigarette smoke, pesticides, cleaning
Nainsi McKinney
5/14/13
Ozone depletion is a very serious issue that is almost fully the fault of humans and the ozone is going to continue to thin if changes are not made. Chemicals that are used in everyday life are primarily responsible for the ozone loss; compounds called chlorofluorocarbons such as Freon and Styrofoam when used as a foam blowing agent for insulation (WileyPlus,Chap.9. Global Atmospheric Changes.) There are other contributors such as nitrous oxide that is released when fossil fuels are burned, certain pesticides, and halons which are used as fire retardants. All of these things are human made and are being released into the atmosphere because of the human race and can be changed to slow the thinning of the ozone in the stratosphere. As the ozone layer thins it can cause a chain of negative events that can cause a lot of health issues, not only for humans but for entire ecosystems as well (WileyPlus,Chap.9.Global Atmospheric Changes.) The thinning increases the amount of UV radiation that gets through to the Earths surface increases health risks such as skin cancer, cataracts, and weakened immune systems making it harder for humans to fight of bacteria and viruses. The increase in UV radiation affects the marine ecosystems; exposure to the increased solar radiation has been shown to slow down productivity and therefore decreased the survival of some species in the oceans (www.epa.gov/ozone/science/effects.) Indoor air pollution is even more detrimental to human health then ozone depletion is causing a wide variety of illnesses depending on the location and circumstances. In some cases homes can contain higher levels of air pollutants than the outside air does (WileyPlus,Chap.8.Air and Air Pollution.) Some of the most common contaminants are things that we have control over bringing into our homes like cigarette smoke, pesticides, cleaning
References: Wiley Plus Chapters 8&9 www.epa.gov/iaq/ia-intro.html www.epa.gov/ozone/science/effects