OZONE

Ozone (O3) in the stratosphere filters out harmful UV for biological structures, is also a greenhouse gas that absorbs infrared radiation effectively. The concentration of ozone in the atmosphere is not uniform but varies with altitude. Is formed through photochemical reactions involving sunlight, a molecule of O2 and a lone oxygen atom. It can also be generated by complex photochemical reactions associated with anthropogenic emissions and is a powerful air pollutant in the troposphere superficial. Is destroyed by photochemical processes involving racial hydroxyls, NOx and chlorine (Cl, ClO). The concentration is determined by a process of fine balance between creation and destruction. There are fears its removal agents that contain chlorine (CFCs) in stratospheric heights, where the ozone layer, are transformed into radicals that alter the fine balance that keeps the protective layer (GCCIP, 1997).

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