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ECO NEWSLETTER By Martha T. Pelensky, PE, Chairperson - Ecology/Environment Dear Friends, We live and function at the bottom o f an invisible ocean o f air. This invisible medium consists o f oxygen, nitrogen, small amounts of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and rare gases. Another component o f the “air we breathe” is water, mostly in the form o f humidity. The air/atmosphere enveloping our planet extends some 400.000 feet up and can be divided into the following layers: troposphere (from ground up to 45.000 ft), stratosphere (45,000 - 160,000 ft), mesosphere (160,000 - 260,000 ft), and thermosphere (260,000 - 400,000 ft). Without this protective mantle of air, life on earth as we know it would be impossible. The side-effects of the Industrial Revolution and the ever accelerating pace o f technology on the atmosphere can be grouped roughly into the fol lowing categories: air pollution, atmospheric and/or global warming and damage to the ozone layer. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), whose mandate it is to safeguard the cleanliness o f our environment, lists the following substances and materials as air pollutants: Aerosols, asbestos, carbon monoxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), ground level ozone, hazardous air pollutants, hyd- rochloro-fluorocarbons (HCFCs), nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, propellants, radon substitutes, sulfur oxides, criteria air pollutants, volatile organic compounds, lead, and refrigerants. The effects o f these pollutants on us and on our surroundings are many and varied. In this discussion we shall limit ourselves on to the “bad actors” that cause damage to the ozone layer. Ozone is manufactured by passing cold, dry oxygen through an electrical discharge. In its controlled, pure form, it is a powerful oxidizing agent and is used in purifying water, in sterilizing air and in the bleaching certain foods. Ozone also forms naturally as a result o f a chemical reaction between oxides o f nitrogen (NOxs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight. The sources o f the NOxs and the VOCs are automobile or industrial emissions. This uncont rolled “BAD” ground-level ozone is a health hazard and is believed to cause serious crop damage and have adverse effects on some animal and plant life. Ozone also forms naturally in the strato sphere as a result o f interaction between atmo spheric oxygen and the ultraviolet radiation or electrical corona discharge. This upper-level ozone is considered “GOOD” as it filters out most of the harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation that reaches the earth’s surface. A diminished ozone layer, an ozone “hole”, allows increased dosage o f UV radiation to reach the earth’s surface which in turn can lead to skin cancer, cataracts and weakened immune system. Increased UV radiation can also lead to reduced crop yields and disruptions in the marine food chain. Depletion o f the “good” ozone occurs as a result o f complex chemical reactions between it and compounds known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) and other ozone depleting substances. When these compounds reach the stratosphere the UV radiation from the sun causes them to break apart and to release chlorine atoms which react with ozone starting chemical cycles o f ozone destruction that deplete the ozone layer. Until 1978, CFC’s were widely used as refrigerants, foam blowing agents, hair sprays and deodorants, propellants in aerosol cans and solvents. Other ozone depleting substances can be found in pesticides, raw materials used in the production o f cleaning solvents, and the halon used in fire extinguishers.
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