Atmospheric Issues Essay

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Atmospheric Issue SCI/275 11/9/2013 Rhonda Williams When it comes to pollution, it seems to be causing health concern with air pollution indoors, as well as issues in our atmosphere. When we look at air pollution in doors, one of the key issues is VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. VOCs are the emitted gases from certain solids or liquids, which include varieties of chemicals that can have long-term and short-term health effects (United States Environmental Protection Agency). VOCs are emitted into the air quality by a wide verity of product, such as paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, etc. (United States Environmental Protection Agency). Similar to the Volatile organic compound use polluting the indoor air quality, the use of the similar chemicals, is cause atmospheric issues as well. Take the Ozone Depletion issue, the ozone layer is a layer of naturally occurring ozone gases that sits 9.3 to 18.6 miles above the earth and serves as our shield from the harmful rays of ultraviolet B radiation that is emitted from the sun (1996-2013 National Geographic Society). There is a concern that the ozone layer is deteriorating due to the release of pollution containing chemical like chlorine and bromine (1996-2013 National Geographic Society). Also chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), chemicals found mainly in spray aerosols heavily used by industrialized nations for much of the past 50 years, are the primary culprits in ozone layer breakdown (1996-2013 National Geographic Society). When CFCs make their way to the upper atmosphere, they are exposed to UV rays, which then cause them to break down into chemicals such as chlorine (1996-2013 National Geographic Society). Once it has broken down into chlorine, it then reacts with the oxygen atoms in the ozone and rips apart the molecules (1996-2013 National Geographic Society).

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