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  • Essay / Ozone Report: Understanding CFCs

    CFCs, also known as chlorofluorocarbons, are a group of compounds that contain carbon, chlorine, fluorine, and sometimes hydrogen atoms. Before the creation of CFCs, refrigeration systems as well as air conditioning systems relied heavily on other easily flammable and toxic compounds, making them dangerous to the public. Compounds used during this time included chemicals such as ammonia, chloromethane, propane, sulfur dioxide, and many others; all of this could cause serious injury and damage. Then, in 1928, an American named Thomas Midgley, with the help of his team, completed the creation of CFCs to replace harmful chemicals in refrigeration and air conditioning systems. The advantage of CFCs, unlike previously used chemicals, is that they are non-flammable and non-toxic to humans. As knowledge that CFCs could replace other chemicals became more widespread, CFCs began to be mass produced around the world and were used in many other systems such as blowing foam, aerosols and cosmetics. By the 1970s, CFCs were used in global production, with production estimated at nearly one million tonnes per year. Due to the high production and use capacity of CFCs, they were emitted into our atmosphere in large quantities, which affected the state of the ozone layer. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The ozone layer is a layer surrounding the Earth at the top of the atmosphere. It is located specifically in the stratosphere and troposphere and is approximately 10 to 30 kilometers above the Earth's surface. The ozone layer is essential to life on earth because it protects all living things from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. The ozone layer filters and absorbs much of the radiation that protects the Earth's surface from high UV exposure. This is crucial because studies have proven that plants, animals and humans are subject to harmful effects when exposed to large amounts of radiation. The ozone layer contains significant amounts of ozone, which is a special type of oxygen; these are three oxygen atoms bonded together (O3). Ozone is a rare chemical found in our atmosphere, but it plays a very important role, making disruptions to the ozone layer caused by CFCs all the more concerning. When CFCs are at sea level, they are very stable compounds and do not react much. But when they begin to drift upward and end up in the atmosphere, ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun breaks the compound and separates a chlorine atom. Once this happens, the highly unstable chlorine atom that contains an unpaired electron will be released into the atmosphere. The single chlorine atom will then split the ozone molecules to attempt to combine with a single oxygen molecule to create a stable compound; chlorine monoxide. A single chlorine atom can react with and destroy up to 100,000 ozone molecules before finally bonding with one of them. This is why small amounts of CFCs can have such a big impact on the ozone layer. Additionally, once a chlorine molecule has stabilized with an oxygen molecule, UV rays will simply break it apart, creating a nearly infinite cycle. Even since the use of CFCs was stopped internationally, CFCs have already destroyed the ozone layer in the past, making itthinner and weaker all over the world. But it has had a particularly big impact in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, because lower temperatures there cause the CFC's chlorine atom to break down more quickly than in warmer climates. The use of CFCs in the past has made ozone weaker in general and less effective at filtering and absorbing harmful UV rays. During the 1970s, concerns were raised by scientists Paul Crutzen, Mario Molina and Sherwood Rowland about the effects of CFCs on the ozone layer. And in 1978, the thinning of the ozone layer was a big topic of public conversation. They were concerned about the significant emissions of CFCs over the years, which could cause an ozone catastrophe. Despite concerns, during this time nothing was identified in the ozone layer that suggested anything was wrong and the layer appeared normal. A scientist from the British Antarctic Survey began monitoring the ozone layer and quickly discovered that since the 1970s, ozone values ​​had declined in several regions around the world. In 1981, scientists could determine that there was a problem in the ozone layer, but could not pinpoint the exact problem. Then, one day in 1984, scientists discovered a large hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica that seemed to appear out of nowhere in their data. Of two research teams stationed in the area, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey were the first to discover this puzzling hole and share it with the public. Despite this, many still didn't know what to make of the hole; they thought it might be a malfunction or error in the systems. Then, in late 1984, scientists from NASA and around the world collected more data about the ozone hole and how it was caused. Therefore, the ozone hole was confirmed to be real. As stated earlier, the ozone layer plays a huge role in life on earth. The reduction of the ozone layer, particularly in the Antarctic region where the ozone hole is located, has allowed more UVB rays to enter the Earth's atmosphere. This has caused multiple environmental and health problems. When it comes to health issues, increased exposure to UV rays has been scientifically proven to cause various health issues in humans, such as increased risk of skin cancer, eye damage, and deficiency of the immune system. For comparison, before the 1980s, the public did not wear much sunscreen since the ozone layer was strong and filtered out most harmful UV rays. But currently, if we go out without sunscreen, it is very likely that we will end up with a sunburn since the UV index is much higher due to the depletion of the ozone layer. Additionally, increased UV rays have affected the growth of plants and phytoplankton and, as they are producers of almost all food chains, this greatly affects a large number of ecosystems. Once scientists discovered the effects of CFCs on the ozone layer, they all quickly agreed on the need to put an end to them. Therefore, in 1987, an international agreement was signed, called the Montreal Protocol, which began the phase-out of all chemicals that damage the ozone layer, including CFCs. This protocol helped control damage to the ozone layer and continues to protect the layer as it recovers to this day. Scientific studies and 2040.