Ozone is a word we link with air quality. Many of us may be confused when we hear that high levels of ozone in the air we breathe are bad for our health, yet not enough ozone in the upper atmosphere is also harmful . The difference is the effects caused by the ozone being present at ground level, or absent in the upper atmosphere.
Ozone is a gas made up of three oxygen atoms.
The oxygen we normally breathe is two oxygen atoms. We can find ozone in the air around us, as well as far above us In the atmosphere. First we will discuss ground level ozone. It is formed when nitrogon oxides from cars, power plants and industrles combine with hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbons are given off from sources such as cars, gas stations, large and small industries, and commercial processes that use solvents, such as dry cleaning.