Chlorofluorocarbons Affecting Canada's Ozone Layer

The ozone layer is a naturally occurring gas that acts like a blanket filtering out the Suns UV radiation. The ozone layer has a hole in it which allows UV radiation to reach the earth's surface. Causing skin cancer, cataracts, and weaker immune systems. The hole in the ozone layer is caused by chlorofluorocarbons. Commonly found in aerosols, refrigerators, air conditioners and cars. In the documentary An inconvenient truth, Al Gore stated that they fix the hole in the ozone layer.

However, the effect of this process was unknown. Within three months, the pair developed the CFC ozone depletion theory. They determined that as the CFCs are broken down by solar radiation, the chlorine atoms are released into the atmosphere. As the chlorine atoms encounter ozone molecules, the two react to form chlorine oxide and an oxygen molecule. When the chlorine oxide molecule encounters another ozone molecule, two oxygen molecules form, the chlorine molecule is released, and the process begins again. Molina determined that over 100,000 ozone molecules could be destroyed by a single chlorine atom. In addition, CFCs could contain up to four atoms of chlorine per molecule. Molina predicted that in 60 years, CFCs could destroy 7% of the ozone in the earth's

The ozone should always stay in tact to protects the earth from UV radiation, which is harmful to humans (skin cancer) and also the earth (global warming). If allowed to build up indoors, VOCs often contribute to lightheadedness, headaches, allergies and more importantly has also scientifically proven harmful to asthma sufferers. As a matter of fact, according to Professor Roy Harrison, professor of environmental health at Birmingham University, there is a body of research on VOCs in the indoor environment which links them with those kinds of symptoms - headaches and not feeling so good (news.bbc.co.uk). After proven to have negative effects on the ozone layer as well as humans, the production of CFCs was shut down and in fact it’s banned in the US. Some scientists were not convinced by the act of banning CFCs in spite of all these evidences. “Given the large economic impact of a ban — it was estimated that industries relying on CFC production generated $8 billion in business and employed 200,000 people in 1974 — several scientists in the field advocated waiting a few years for science to make more progress on the issue before making any policy decisions.” (bio.sunyorange.edu)

Air pollution is a major threat to the atmosphere, causing damages to the environment by emitting harmful substance to human health. Alberta has become a vulnerable society that has resulted in an increase rate of illness caused by poor air quality from asthma to lung cancer. Although Alberta is one of Canada’s largest growing industries, Alberta produces the most greenhouse gas emissions, which has made Alberta to position as the worst air quality management in the Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) (Esrd.alberta.ca).

In the late 1970’s scientists concluded that products releasing carbonflourochloride (CFC) was causing the ozone to deplete. The ozone layer is a protective layer from the sun’s rays and depleting the ozone layer allowed the stronger, harmful to health on earth, rays to get through. International action was taken in 1987 and the Montreal Protocol came into being. It was an international treaty to phase out CFC producing products. It went into effect in 1988 and has achieved international success. Once the Montreal Protocol had been agreed to the World Health Organization released information on the harmful effects CFC’s were having on the ozone

Did you know that with all this talk about global warming, and the disappearing of the ozone layer, the root of the problem is us? Yes, we’re the cause of all those problems. We keep putting something called greenhouse gases into the air. A few greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane. While some climate change is natural, humans need to be careful about greenhouse gases because ecosystems are changing, sea levels are rising, and global average temperature increased by more than 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit over the last century.

The subset of air pollutants that cause smog and acid rain (sometimes referred to as Criteria Air Contaminants or CACs) include: According to the most recent environmental indicators, 5.5 per cent of cardiopulmonary (heart and lung disease related) deaths can be attributed to ground-level ozone exposure, which has increased over the past decade.

In 1988, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration had conclusive proof products adding to the output of carbon dioxide and methane gases in the atmosphere were causing the earth to warm; and, if not stopped will make it inhabitable for human life. In the 1970’s the United States had conclusive proof that products releasing Chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere were causing the ozone layer to deplete; and, that if continued would be dangerous for human life. The United States took international global action, by joining the Montreal Protocol, to phase out the products producing chlorofluorocarbon and the ozone layer has been successfully replenished .

Apparently, Ozone is a lung-searing gas, which brings irritations in the airways causing respiratory problems (Kim, et al. 137). In California, both ozone and particulate matters have increased the heart and respiratory diseases such as asthma, lung diseases, bronchitis and heart problems for both children and adults. Nevertheless, some of this other harmful gas such as Carbon(II) Oxide, Nitrogen(IV) Oxide, and Sulphur(IV) oxide has also brought about cardiovascular

My first reason is because of a chemical called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). It has a tendency to drift up to the layer of ozone gas that surrounds the Earth and break up the ozone molecules. CFCs were found in aerosol cans that sprayed substances like deodorant and hairspray and in refrigerants, fire extinguishers and solvents for cleaning. Other ozone depleting chemicals were found

The third gas is nitrous oxide.  Nitrous oxide has pretty much the same effect on the ozone as the chloroflourocarbons, but nitrous oxide only destroys about one-forth of what the chloroflourocarbons destroy.

The items that contain CFC's are regular house hold items, but they can have a devastating effect on the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. They are found in aerosols, plastic foam and fridges. However now that the scientists have a greater

An ozone molecule contains three of oxygen atoms (O3) which included the molecular oxygen (O2) that is important in our life in order to survive. Ozone is also the form of UV rays (sun) from the upper parts of atmosphere which is called stratosphere. Another name for stratosphere is protective ozone layer because it can help to protect human from the harmful effect of the ultra-violet radiation (UV ray) by absorbing it. But the lower part of atmosphere which name troposphere, can easily causes harmful or damage to a lung tissues of human and also the leaves tissue of plants because of the strong oxidizing agent. However when sunny or warm days, an ozone that formed by nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the lower parts of atmosphere will

Many of us might not understand how important the ozone layer is to our planet. So that is why we should take more care of our environment so we don’t deplete our ozone layer even more. To some this topic may not be important and they don’t understand what affects these dangerous chemicals can have on our environment. Hopefully reading this they will want to take better care of our planet for our future generations.

    Air is classified as a mixture because it is made up of many different elements. These elements include 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% Argon, .4% water vapor, and .04% carbon dioxide.  Human activity has a very large effect on the air in our environment. Over time, humans have caused the once clean air to become polluted with chemicals.  These chemicals are called pollutants. A pollutant is defined as a substance created from human activity, that is present at a concentration greater than its natural levels, and has a harmful effect on the environment. Many different pollutants exist in our air today and the concentration of these chemicals causes their toxicity to vary.