Ozone Pollution: What You Need to Know

[LightbulbSun]

Ok, my area today had an air stagnation advisory, but I was a little confused with the following when reading the explanation in the advisory:

AIR QUALITY LEVELS IN OUTDOOR AIR ARE PREDICTED TO BE GREATER
THAN AN AIR QUALITY INDEX VALUE OF 100 FOR THE POLLUTANT OF
OZONE.

Can someone give me an explanation on the 'pollutant of ozone'?

 

[Mk]

Isn't it that people don't like too much ozone at ground level to breathe?

 

[Pythagorean]

ozone is O_3, and exists naturally in the ozone layer of the atmosphere. I don't know how it gets made on Earth (or if it just comes down somehow) but I'm pretty sure there's some ionization machines that accidentally make O_3 (if it wasn't an urban myth).

 

[ray b]

ozone is O_3, and exists naturally in the ozone layer of the atmosphere. I don't know how it gets made on Earth (or if it just comes down somehow) but I'm pretty sure there's some ionization machines that accidentally make O_3 (if it wasn't an urban myth).

I think the O3 in the upper layer stays in place mostly
we make extra O3 mostly thru eltric devices and some chemical reactions
high up it is a sheild, and good and needed
down at near ground level a pollutant, health hazzerd, and unwanted

the ionic air cleaners do make some
link on indoor air ionization

http://www.ilo.org/encyclopedia/?doc&nd=857100213&nh=0

 

[D H]

Tropospheric ozone forms when manmade pollutants (nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide, unburned hydrocarbons, ...) react with oxygen and sunlight. Ozone, when breathed, causes lung damage.

 

[sneez]

O3 is very important in gas in stratosphere for well known reasons.
The creation of O3 in stratosphere is different from creation of O3 in troposphere. O3 is highly reactive and toxic gas and is considered therefore a polutant in the troposphere where we live.

The chemistry of tropospheric O3 can be quite involved but it mainly it creation or destruction is dependent on NO (nitric oxide) concentration and also tied to hydroxil chemistry.

this is for more detailed explanation: "www-personal.umich.edu/~sillman/Sillman-webOZONE.pdf"[/URL]

 

[Mk]

Isn't it that people don't like too much ozone at ground level to breathe?

Tropospheric ozone forms when manmade pollutants (nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide, unburned hydrocarbons, ...) react with oxygen and sunlight. Ozone, when breathed, causes lung damage.

Ahhah! So I win!