Ozone can be destroyed by a number of free radical catalysts; the most important are the hydroxyl radical (OH·), nitric oxide radical (NO·), chlorine radical (Cl·) and bromine radical (Br·). The dot is a notation to indicate that each species has …

Mar 19, 2025 · Ozone depletion, gradual thinning of Earth’s ozone layer caused by the release of chemical compounds containing gaseous chlorine or bromine from industry and other human activities. The thinning is most pronounced in the polar regions, especially over Antarctica.

Mar 5, 2025 · Learn about the ozone layer and how human activities deplete it. This page provides information on the chemical processes that lead to ozone layer depletion, and scientists' efforts to understand them.

Jan 10, 2023 · One atom of chlorine can destroy more than 100,000 ozone molecules, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, eradicating ozone much more quickly than it can be replaced.

Mar 21, 2025 · Ozone layer depletion increases the amount of UVB that reaches the Earth’s surface. Laboratory and epidemiological studies demonstrate that UVB causes non-melanoma skin cancer and plays a major role in malignant melanoma development.

Scientists have found that particles, or aerosols, produced by major volcanic eruptions accelerate ozone destruction. The particles themselves do not directly destroy ozone but they do provide a surface upon which chemical reactions can take place. …

Mar 25, 2025 · Learn about how international action under the Montreal Protocol has helped to reverse ozone layer depletion. The ozone layer hole over the Antarctic is expected to disappear by mid-century.

Sep 23, 2024 · Ozone is destroyed when it reacts with molecules containing nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine, or bromine. Some of the molecules that destroy ozone occur naturally, but people have created others. The total mass of ozone in the atmosphere is about 3 billion metric tons.

Ozone depletion refers to the gradual thinning and destruction of the ozone layer, primarily caused by human activities. The most infamous phenomenon associated with this is the ozone hole, a seasonal depletion over Antarctica observed since the 1980s.

Jan 14, 2023 · The ozone layer has been damaged over many years, in part due to chemicals called CFCs. It stands for chlorofluorocarbons, which are made up of chlorine, fluorine and carbon atoms.