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Ozone or trioxygen, which comprises three oxygen atoms, is available in natural and man-made ways. This gas is pale blue and has a typically pungent smell and expressed with formula O3, and ozone is formed of dioxygen or O2, the UV light, along with a few electrical particles in the atmospheric level, aids in the formation of ozone. However, the availability of ozone is considerably less in the atmosphere than where it forms the stratosphere layer. The ozone layer impacts life on earth in both good and bad ways. Yet, it possesses the property of safeguarding humans from harmful UV rays and thus is regarded as a very important gas.
Ozone preparation or formation in different layers
In the stratospheric layer, the ozone is formed with the interaction of its molecule with the UV light; this Stratospheric layer is quite above the ground level.
O2 + Ultraviolet radiation → O + O
O + O2 (in presence of UV ) → O3(g) thermodynamically unstable
In the tropospheric or the ground level ozone, it is in contact with humans, and thus, involves the gas humans use for breathing. The ozone in this layer is formed with the photochemical reaction between two pollutants: volatile organic compounds (VOC) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOX). It is assumed that this reaction works the best in the presence of light or UV light. Thus, the formation of ozone is relatively more in summers than in winters. Still, recently it has been of the view that even during winters, if the reacting pollutants are in abundance in the environment, then the ozone formation takes place irrespective of the season. The smoke, haze, or smog that one experiences during winters or summers are because of ozone.
Though some of the ozone is transported from the stratospheric layer, most of it is formed on the ground level from the reactions between VOC and NOX. These compounds are attained in the environment through industrial plants, chemical plants, auto body shops and print shops. At the same time, NOX is available because of the high level and temperature combustion.
Effect of Ozone on humans
The ozone layer is the major component of absorbing the UV rays and thus acts as a sheath for the environment and prevents the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays from reaching the earth’s surface. This, in turn, prevents humans from various illnesses like cancer and burns on the skin due to direct rays and direct DNA damage in the tissues of living organisms. This is the one advantage of ozone for survival, but parallelly it has various disadvantages that are a source of danger to human health and piles of the earth’s environment.
The ozone layer acts as a greenhouse gas that absorbs the earth’s emitted infrared radiation. Also, it is regarded as 1000 times more radioactive than carbon dioxide, making it hazardous. Though the effects of the ozone are short-lived for a period of 20 years because the atmosphere absorbs it at a faster rate than carbon dioxide, in some places, the radiative forcing rates are higher than ever, which might be a great environmental concern in the near future.
Another disadvantage and danger posing the quality of ozone are that it might affect the respiratory tract of people. The pollutants which react to the formation of ozone are not water-soluble, causing a high amount of threat to the respiratory tract of humans because the lower throat directly gets affected, impacting the health of the people. This might also cause cases of asthma among people, also directly impacting the lungs and making it dangerous for breathing.
The short term inhalation of ozone also has impacts like the humans can not breathe till their full lung capacity and thus impacts the overall well-being. Other such symptoms of short term inhalation of the ozone are:
Cough
Throat Irritating
Pain, discomfort in the chest while deep breathing
Shortness of breath and chest tightening
Ozone also has an evident mortality relation, which means that inhalation of ozone can directly impact the statistics of death rates. Research has found that:
Ozone impacts the mortality rates in humans
The impact of ozone mortality rate is high in older adults
The ozone’s relation with the mortality rate is higher in the warm season in summers.
It has been studied and researched that the short-term inhalation of ozone caused more hospital admissions for treatment relating to the respiratory tract or lungs. The other studies also showcased that the absence in schools and offices were seen for the inhalation of ozone.
People with asthma are more prone to infections and illnesses caused by ozone. A part of it can be their sensitivity towards breathing, and the inclusion of ozone in this process might cause more severe threats. People with asthma tend to use more medications when prone to inhalation of ozone, the asthma attacks are abnormally increased, and along with it, the lung functionality decreases all of this adds up and deteriorates the health of asthma patients severely.
Thus, the effects of ozone on health and the environment are way higher than people assume them to be. Targeting the respiratory system of humans is the core of existence for anyone.
Conclusion
The ozone layer, or ozone, is known as trioxygen, is an element found in abundance in both the tropospheric layer, which is at the ground level and in the stratospheric level, quite above the ground level. This ozone is made with the reaction of pollutants. Thus, along with protecting the environment from the harmful UV rays, it also has the equivalent potential to put people’s lives in danger because of its impact on the respiratory tract. The ozone layer directly targets older adults and people with asthma and pre-existing breathing problems, causing a severe threat to their lives and positively affecting human mortality.
