What pollution will ozone cause? (What pollution will ozone cause?)
Following smog, an "invisible killer-ozone" is endangering people's health. The website of the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center shows that Shanghai has experienced ozone pollution for 11 consecutive days as of August 6. The air quality index also reached the highest value of 134 at 1 pm that day. The main pollutant is ozone. So what is ozone pollution? What are its main toxic chemical components?
What is ozone pollution
Ozone usually exists in the upper atmosphere about 30 kilometers above the ground. It is the guardian of the earth and can effectively block ultraviolet rays and protect human health. However, ozone appearing near the ground at about 10-100 meters is caused by severe environmental pollution, which will have many adverse effects on human health.
The composition of ozone
The main source of near-ground ozone is a series of nitrogen oxide gases and volatilization released by internal combustion engines, gas emissions from power plants, automobile exhaust and industrial emissions. organic compounds, which are by-products of burning gasoline and coal. Under sunny and high-temperature weather conditions in late spring, summer and early autumn, NOx and VOC chemically react with oxygen to form ozone.
The harm of ozone near the ground
Ozone that appears near the ground is ozone pollution and is harmful to health, mainly in the following aspects.
Damage to the respiratory tract
Ozone is highly corrosive. Inhaling ozone will irritate and damage the nasal mucosa and respiratory tract, and damage the bronchioles and alveoli in your lungs. Repeated exposure to ozone can cause chest tightness and coughing. In severe cases, it can cause asthma or respiratory infections, causing inflammation of lung tissue.
Destroy the immune system
Ozone can damage the human immune system, induce chromosomal lesions in lymphocytes, accelerate the aging of the body, and cause pregnant women to give birth to deformed babies. It can also cause neurotoxicity and lead to memory loss.
Injury to the skin
Ozone will damage the vitamin E in human skin, causing wrinkles and dark spots on the skin.
How to prevent near-ground ozone pollution
High concentrations of ozone are generally formed in hot afternoons and evenings and dissipate in cooler nights.
Unlike the prevention of PM2.5, wearing a mask is ineffective in preventing ozone. The environmental protection department advises citizens to avoid outdoor activities as much as possible between two and three o'clock in the afternoon when ozone pollution is most serious. Midsummer is the season of high incidence of ozone pollution, and ozone pollution will ease from September onwards.