Ozone

In what quantities are CFCs used?

CFCs are used in low quantities due to their illegality all over the world. However, some current products, such as air conditioners, still need to use materials that contain CFCs.

What replaced CFCs?

CFCs have been replaced by other chemicals such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) because they break down in the stratosphere before entering the ozone layer.

What are its sources?

Ozone comes from oxygen gas and oxygen molecules reacting in the atmosphere.

What is ozone?

Ozone is a compound of oxygen, O3

How is Ozone formed?

Ozone is formed from the breaking up of an oxygen atom which collides with oxygen molecules to form Ozone (O3)

What's "bad" about ozone?

Ozone is harmful to humans when in the lower atmosphere/on ground level

What's "good" about ozone?

Ozone protects the earth from harmful UV rays

Is ozone as depleted in lower latitudes (why is the hole at the South Pole)?

Polar spring over Antarctica have essentially no sunlight, which inhibits many reactions, including the ones that create ozone. With no ozone being created, the chlorine compounds in the air can freely deplete the ozone layer. Spring in the low latitudes receive noticeably less light than other latitudes, which means less ozone is created throughout the year.

What recent action by president Obama may have set back attempts to repair the ozone hole?

President Obama decided not to raise federal ozone standards for air pollution

How soon is the ozone hole expected to be "healed"?

Scientists predict that the ozone hole will reach normal levels around 2050, or roughly 40 years from now.

What is "smog" and what is its connection to ozone?

Smog is fog or haze that is intensified by pollution, but mainly refers to ground level ozone.

Who still uses CFCs?

Some countries have yet to ban CFCs. Also in The United States air conditioning units and some refrigerators still emit CFCs. Many non-developed countries have not banned them yet.

Where are CFCs used?

Some uses of CFC's were: in refrigerators, air-conditioning, and aerosol cans

What are CFCs?

(CFC) chloroflofluorocarbon is an organic compound that contains carbon, chlorine, and fluorine, produced as a volatile derivative of methane and ethane. Depletes ozone in the atmosphere.

What are ways of detecting ozone?

May be detected by a "sniff test." Ozone dissolves in water, so there are papers that change color when ozone is present in water.

What US legislation addresses issues like smog?

The 1990 Clean Air Act addresses issues like smog, acid rain, ozone depletion, and toxic air pollution, as well as reducing widespread air pollution as a whole.

What agreements ended the use of CFCs?

The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer of 1985, with the Montreal Protocol of 1987, asked countries to agree to stop the use of CFCs and certain other harmful chemicals.

What is the ozone hole and what do most scientists think caused it?

The ozone hole is a very thin layer of ozone that is located over Antarctica. In addition to common place pollution, scientists believe that chemical processes caused by polar stratospheric clouds that are formed during the Antarctic spring. These clouds, with the help of strong Antarctic winds release CFCs, further depleting the ozone layer.

Why do we care about CFCs?

They were extremely harmful to the environment which led to them being outlawed.

Does ozone have a color or smell?

Yes, ozone is blue, and has a pungent, distinctive smell