Ozone Pollution
Ozone pollution is mainly the result of intense industrial activity in urban and suburban areas, but it is also carried away by winds to other geographical parts like the countryside for instance. Cars and trucks are also responsible for creating ozone through combustion, contributing thus to the level of pollution too. In fact, ozone as such results from the combination of several chemicals eliminated as car exhaust; they combine in the atmosphere particularly during the spring and summer months when the afternoon heat favors its appearance. Ozone pollution is less intense at night when the temperature drops, or during late autumn and winter.
Paradoxically enough, we are dealing with ozone pollution when the ozone layer that we desperately need for survival is so damaged: ozone is good in the external layers of the atmosphere but harmful at the ground level. The problem with this oxygen compound is its high corrosive nature and the toxic, harmful reaction it triggers in the tissues when it is inhaled. If you suffer from a certain respiratory problem, ozone pollution is likely to aggravate it. Asthma and bronchitis patients should be aware of the dangers of exposing themselves to ozone, but children also show a higher level of sensitivity too.
There are things each of us can do in order to limit the ozone pollution. Thus, using the automobile as little as possible at noon or in the afternoon when the weather is warm or hot, can significantly contribute to the reduction of ozone formation. Moreover, fires and outdoor grills should not be lit at such times. Some paints and chemical cleaning products are also great sources of ozone pollution, try to choose some others that are ecological and therefore safe for the environment. Besides the individual efforts to reduce ozone concentration, authorities have come up with some standards for the measuring of the quality of the air in the attempt to reduce macro-pollution.
Efforts to reduce the level of ozone pollution have not remained unrewarded. Statistics indicate a major diminution in the ozone levels in the United States to a concentration that is just a little above the normal. If government regulations, ozone-pollution warnings and conservation practices continue to be followed, more significant falls in the ozone concentration will be achieved. It is within our power to do as much as we can in the direction of limiting conditions that in the end affect our lives directly.
