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Impact Of Pollution On Ozone Depletion

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Jamie Kanzler Extended Essay: What is the impact of pollution on ozone depletion? Section 1: Introduction 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. Generally, pollutants are classified into two groups: primary and secondary pollutants. A primary pollutant is a chemical that enters directly into the atmosphere. Common primary pollutants include nitrogen monoxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and volatile organic compounds. A volatile organic compound is a compound of carbon that participates in a photochemical reaction in the atmosphere. The second type of pollutant, a secondary pollutant, is produced when primary pollutants go through a chemical reaction with environmental constituents in the atmosphere. Examples of secondary pollutants include sulfuric acid, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone. These pollutants are “modified

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