Unless you just
landed on the planet, you’re aware of the ozone hole above Antarctica. When
scientists discovered it in the mid 1980s, they were alarmed that we had a very
serious problem on our hands.
The ozone layer was being depleted. This layer of atmospheric
gas absorbed the sun’s ultraviolet rays and prevented every living thing on
earth from – well, frying. The culprits were chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs),
the coolant in cars, refrigerators, and air conditioners and propellants in
aerosols. Researchers scrambled to come up with suitable replacements, and,
through international agreement, CFCs have steadily been replaced with less
harmful refrigerants and propellants.
We came close to
doing some really harmful damage. But, because the world’s scientists knew how
to stop the depletion and were able to convince the planet’s leaders to take
action, the hole is slowly diminishing. Thinking back, it was amazing that we were
able to achieve such solidarity.
Putting Ozones in Their Place
Just as we were
grappling with that issue and starting to understand how important it is to not
use substances that deplete the ozone, we begin to get warnings about too much
ozone in the air we breathe. The EPA has dinged Knoxville more than once for
having ozone levels above safety standards.
Confusion set in
rapidly. Americans were so confused, in fact, that the EPA came up with a
slogan to help us remember the difference between the “two ozones”: Good Up
High – Bad Nearby.
The basic gist of
the story of two ozones is we want it in the atmosphere but we don’t want it in
the air we breathe, at least not incessantly and in high amounts. What serves
as a critical filter in the atmosphere where no one lives is not healthy for
living things on the ground. That includes human and animal lung tissue and
plants.
Ground-level ozone
is one of the pollutants created when we burn fossil fuels. It’s so bad in
Knoxville that weather stations issue ozone alert days when we’re advised to
limit outdoor activities. WebMD lists
Knoxville as Number 2 in its list of the Ten Worst Cities for Asthma in 2011.
Memphis was Number 3, Chattanooga was Number 4, and Nashville was Number 10.
Out of all the cities in the U.S. with the most asthma, Tennessee can lay claim
to four. Pollution is one of the triggers, but so are smoking and pollen.
Ozone is
especially hard on children because their lungs aren’t fully developed. The effect
is diminished lung capacity when they’re adults. And because children are likely to engage in
outdoor activities, they’re even more at risk.
But we’ve made
strides in reducing this “bad” ozone, in the region and in the nation. The next
post will bring a few more details and a bit of good news.
For more information on ozone, visit the following Web sites:
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