Since CFCs are heavier than air, the process of CFCs reaching the ozone will generally take from two to five years to get into the stratosphere. ... The CFCs inside auto and home air conditioning systems, as well as in refrigerators can leak out, and eventually will rise into the atmosphere destroying the ozone layer. ... Man-made chemicals are not the only way ozone depletion can occur; natural depletion is also a reason the ozone layer is thinning. ... The thinning of the ozone layer that protects us from ultraviolet radiation is increasing and ramifications will have numerous worldwide effe...

• Word Count: 2237
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

However, the southern hemisphere's thinning ozone layer does not endanger very many densely populated areas. ... Their increased energy damages any living cells they come into contact with (Makhijani, 108). ... Technically speaking, ozone - as with any other chemical substance - is not "destroyed,"" it is merely transformed into some other chemical compound. ... They decompose into chemicals that are highly reactive with ozone: chlorine and bromine (from halon). ... Ultraviolet Reflections: Life Under a Thinning Ozone Layer. ...

• Word Count: 1616
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate