OZONE LAYER

DEPLETION
WHY DO WE USE SUNSCREEN
 WHAT IS THE OZONE LAYER

• The ozone layer was discovered in 1913 by the French physicists Charles Fabry and
Henri Buisson.
• The ozone layer acts as a shield and protects us from the harmful uv rays or ultra
violet rays emmited from the sun
• Nearly 90% of the the ozone layer is present in the stratosphere ,15 to 35 kilometers
(9 to 22 mi) above Earth
• The ozone layer absorbs 97 to 99 percent of the Sun's ultra violet rays
• Ozone is a bluish gas which is harmful to breathe
 UV RAYS

• There are two major types of UV light: UVB and UVA.

• UVB is the cause of skin conditions like sunburns, and cancers like basal
cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
• UVA light is even more harmful than UVB, penetrating more deeply and
causing deadly skin cancer, melanoma, and premature aging.
OZONE LAYER
 FORMATION OF OZONE LAYER
O2 + SUNLIGHT → O + O
O2 + O→O3
The UV radiations split
molecular oxygen O2 apart
into free oxygen atoms O +
O.
These atoms then combine
with molecular oxygen to
form ozone
 OZONE LAYER DEPLETION

• Ozone layer depletion simply means the wearing out of the amount of ozone in the
stratosphere
• In the early 1970s, scientists observed a reduction in stratospheric ozone and it was
found more prominent in Polar Regions.
• This phenomenon is also known as ozone hole
• The main cause of ozone depletion and the ozone hole is manufactured chemicals, especially
manufactured halocarbon refrigerants, solvents, propellants, and foam-blowing agents
(chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), HCFCs, halons).
OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
CHEMICALS RESPONSIBLE FOR
DEPLETION
 HOW CFC’S DESTROY THE OZONE

• When the cfc’s from the refrigerator or air conditioners etc reach the
stratosphere , the uv rays from the sun breaks up the cfc’s which releases
chlorine atoms
• Chlorine atoms reacts with ozone , starting a chemical cyce that destroys
the ozone
• One chlorine atom can break apart more than 100,000 ozone molecules
 IMPACTS OF OZONE LAYER DEPLETION

• Impact on human health – skin cancer , sunburn , premature aging of

skin
• eye diseases like cataract , blindness
• Impact on animals – overexposure of uv rays may cause eye and skin
cancer
• Impact on material – materials like wood , plastic rubber etc are
degrading by uv radiation
• Impact on agriculture – major crop species are vulnerable to uv
radiation , resulting in reduced growth , photosynthesis and
flowering
 MEASURES TO PREVENT OZONE LAYER
DEPLETION
1. Minimize the use of cars -The best transport option is urban, bicycle, or walking. If you
use a car to a destination, try to carpool with others to decrease the use of cars in order to
pollute less and save.
2. Maintain air conditioners - as their malfunctions cause CFC to escape into the
atmosphere.
3. Avoid the consumption of gases dangerous to the ozone layer - due to their content or
manufacturing process. Some of the most dangerous gases are CFCs
(chlorofluorocarbons), halogenated hydrocarbon, methyl bromide and nitrous oxide.
4. Do not use cleaning products that are harmful to the environment - Many cleaning
products contain solvents and substances corrosive, but you can replace these dangerous
substances with non-toxic products such as vinegar or bicarbonate.
5. Spread awareness - Talk to your friends about how they can protect the ozone layer.