Some industries will change manufacturing procedures to reduce harmful emissions while others encourage their employees to consider alternative transportation. There are actually two kinds of ozone in the atmosphere. Ozone high above the earth, known as the ozone layer and ground-level ozone. In recent years we have heard a lot about the depletion of the ozone layer in the stratosphere. This stratospheric ozone layer provides a protective barrier that blocks harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun reaching earth.
Stratospheric ozone is good and is essential for protecting life on earth.
However, ozone at ground-level in the atmosphere is harmful. The concentration of ozone and other air pollutants in urban areas is typically known as smog. When people usually think about smog, they picture a thick brown layer over Los Angeles. They don't usually think of a hot midwest summer day with a lots of sunshine and a hazy blue sky. Unfortunately, ground-level ozone reaches unhealthy levels in urban areas throughout the midwest.