Scientifically Speaking Let s start with natural ozone in the atmosphere. This bombardment causes an oxygen molecule to split, allowing the stray oxygen atom to attach itself to another oxygen molecule, thus forming ozone, or O 3 . Nature produces ozone in other ways, too. The electrical discharge of lightning creates ozone, which is why the air smells so fresh and clean after a thunderstorm. The ozone has oxidized the pollutants in the air.
Many people even hang their laundry out to dry after a thunderstorm to capture the fresh scent.
The sun is continuously converting O 2 to O 3 and vice versa to retain nature s delicate balance. These gases attack and destroy ozone. Conversely, however, ozone will destroy ODS, but like a bee that stings and then dies, its mission is suicidal. In order for the O 3 to destroy the ODS, it must give up its third atom, so the ozone dies or is converted to oxygen. This scenario seems like a good arrangement, until you consider it takes 10,000 ozone molecules to destroy one ODS molecule.