Nice little paper on Ozone -
Ozone Depletion
In this world of rapid change, it's extremely difficult for a company to stay ahead of the game even using all the resources available to them. So, it's difficult to imagine the problems they would run into when a group of environmentalists decide to boycott a substance which is the foundation of their company. These chemicals, although very useful, cause consequences that need to be dealt with now in order to prevent further damage.
The chemicals in question are numerous, but the two gaining the most attention are chloroflurocarbons (CFC's) and carbon tetrachloride. CFC's have a wide range of uses, but are popularly used in aerosol propellants and air conditioning for homes and cars (Singer and Crandall npg). Carbon tetrachloride is one of the major components in making CFC so
their damage is similar. When they inter the outer atmosphere,
They react with ozone chemicals to release chlorine and bromine that in turn deteriorate the ozone and form 'thinning' or 'holes.'
CFC-FFL @ Aedans
CFC-FFL @ AedansThis is catastrophic because they are bonded very strongly together and cannot be broken down by water. This means they travel into the atmosphere virtually unharmed by rain or decomposition (Goldfarb 282).
The reason these are causing such a commotion is the damage they cause to living things on Earth. When the ozone depletes, it causes more ultraviolet (UV) rays to hit the Earth's surface than are healthy (Singer and Crandall npg). UV rays affect the DNA of every living cell, altering the protein make-up of that cell (Goldfarb 288). Most importantly it affects 'microscopic photoplankton' which rest at the bottom of the food chain, placing us in extreme danger (Goldfarb 288). Henry Lee, leading researcher on ozone depletion for the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), says that UV rays...