Why is Ozone bad?
Ozone is the gas formed in the atmosphere which comprises of three atoms of oxygen. It is formed in the ground between nitrogen oxides and organic compounds in the presence of sunlight. Ozone acts as good as well as bad in the atmosphere. Ozone is present in two different layers of atmosphere. Ozone that is present at the ground level near troposphere is called as bad ozone which acts as pollutant in the air. This air pollutant creates harm to the human health and plants. The smog that is formed in the cities constitutes ozone. Nearly ten miles above the troposphere is present stratosphere. The good ozone fills the stratosphere which gets distributed for 10 to 30 miles. This layer protects the humanity from the harmful ultraviolet rays coming from the sun.
The bad ozone is formed from the emissions of motor vehicles and industries, gasoline vapors and chemical solvents. The chemical solvents are nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. These solvents are found to be the precursors of ozone. The heat in the air and extreme sunlight allows the formation of ozone in very dangerous concentrations. The urban environment will have lots of bad ozone accumulated in the air as there will be high amounts of emissions of nitrogen oxide.
This bad ozone that is formed nearer to the troposphere layer changes its concentrations every year. The effects of this ozone layer will be changing of weather. Exposure of human body to this ozone layer will result in drastic effects on lungs. Inhaling less quantities of ozone stimulates number of health problems like chest pain, cough, nausea, congestion and throat irritation. Ozone layer in the troposphere is bad because it can cause bronchitis, asthma, heart disease, decrease in lung capacity and emphysema. Ground level ozone is harmful to us as well as damages the plant life. This ozone layer is called bad ozone as it affects the food storage in plants, causes diseases in plants and destruct the leaves of the trees. Ozone which is at high altitudes is called ‘good, ozone and that which is at ground level is called ‘bad, ozone.
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