Protecting The Stratosphere Ozone Layer
Ozone can be harmful if it is ground-level, but if it is in the stratosphere, it protects the Earth from ultraviolet rays from the sun. The stratosphere blocks some of the light called ultraviolet B, which can cause skin cancer and eye damage. It can also damage plant life on land and in the ocean. Some of the main pollutants that are harmful to the stratosphere are called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). They come from aerosols such as hairspray, air conditioners, and some other types. They were banned in the 1970s. In the 1980s, scientists found that there were holes in the ozone around the South Pole. As a result, over 190 countries, including the United States, signed the 1987 Montreal Protocol. This agreement is designated to eliminating chemicals that harm the stratosphere. The 1990 Clean Air Act "phased out" the most harmful chemicals and in 1996, production of CFCs, halons, and methyl chloroform ended in the United States. There are still holes in the ozone that will take approximately 60 years to close up because of the chemicals that are already in the stratosphere.
Read more about this topic: National Emissions Standards Act
Famous quotes containing the words protecting and/or layer:
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—Ernest Renan (1823–1892)
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—Doris Lessing (b. 1919)