what causes high levels of ozone?
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This happens when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight. Ozone is most likely to reach unhealthy levels on hot sunny days in urban environments, but can still reach high levels during colder months.
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Whether in its pure form or mixed with other chemicals, ozone can be harmful to health. When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and, throat irritation.
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Environmental and health effects of nitrogen oxides Elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide can cause damage to the human respiratory tract and increase a person's vulnerability to, and the severity of, respiratory infections and asthma. Long-term exposure to high levels of nitrogen dioxide can cause chronic lung disease.
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Nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds are both involved in their formation, but in different ways; they are classed as precursors to particle pollution but are not the direct source1, while ozone is the result of their reaction to sunlight.
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The ozone layer is the common term for the high concentration of ozone that is found in the stratosphere around 15–30km above the earth's surface. It covers the entire planet and protects life on earth by absorbing harmful ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation from the sun.
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Human activities cause the emission of halogen source gases that contain chlorine and bromine atoms. These emissions into the atmosphere ultimately lead to stratospheric ozone depletion. The source gases that con- tain only carbon, chlorine, and fluorine are called “chlo- rofluorocarbons,” usually abbreviated as CFCs.
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In the upper atmosphere, a layer of ozone gas protects the earth from the sun's UV radiation. On ground level, however, ozone is “a harmful air pollutant.” Ozone gas is harmful when a person inhales it, leading to lung and throat irritation, coughing, and worsened asthma symptoms.
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Relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and, throat irritation. It may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma as well as compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections.
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Ozone occurs in two layers of the atmosphere. The layer closest to the Earth's surface is the troposphere. Here, ground-level or "bad" ozone is an air pollutant that is harmful to breathe and it damages crops, trees and other vegetation. It is a main ingredient of urban smog.
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Drawing shows four different levels of ozone in the atmosphere. At top of stratosphere, 30 miles high, ozone absorbs most of the harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. At the top of the troposphere, 12 miles high, ozone acts as a greenhouse gas, trapping heat.
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Ozone in the Earth's stratosphere is created by ultraviolet light striking ordinary oxygen molecules containing two oxygen atoms (O2), splitting them into individual oxygen atoms (atomic oxygen); the atomic oxygen then combines with unbroken O2 to create ozone, O3.
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The ozone layer or ozone shield is a region of Earth's stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation. It contains a high concentration of ozone (O3) in relation to other parts of the atmosphere, although still small in relation to other gases in the stratosphere.
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Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and airway inflammation. It also can reduce lung function and harm lung tissue. Ozone can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma , leading to increased medical care . Learn more about health effects.
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Ozone can damage lung tissue, and it is especially dangerous to people with respiratory illnesses like asthma. Ozone can also cause itchy, burning eyes. Smog is unhealthy to humans and animals, and it can kill plants.
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Ground-level ozone also can reduce lung function and inflame the linings of the lungs. Repeated exposure may permanently scar lung tissue. Ground-level ozone also damages vegetation and ecosystems. In the United States alone, ozone is responsible for an estimated $500 million in reduced crop production each year.
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Ozone layer depletion causes increased UV radiation levels at the Earth's surface, which is damaging to human health. Negative effects include increases in certain types of skin cancers, eye cataracts and immune deficiency disorders.
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Ozone generators commonly used in 'high ozone shock treatments' are used to eliminate mold contamination, second-hand smoke, and odors. In controlled laboratory studies at CleanZone Systems, high levels of ozone have been shown to kill a variety of insects including bed bugs.