September 16 was designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. This event commemorates the date of the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987.
The day is observed to limit and ultimately phase out the production of man-made chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and 95 other ozone-depleting materials. The slogan for this year “Ozone: All that is there between You and UV” is meant to show how human activity can impact the ozone layer and ultimately, the survival of the Earth and its environment.
The ozone layer forms a protective shield around the Earth and staves off the ultraviolet radiation of the Sun. The ‘ozone hole’, refers to an area of depleted ozone levels over Antarctica, which naturally occurs during August to October.
- Ozone or trioxygen, is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula O3. It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell.
- Ozone is a powerful oxidant (far more so than dioxygen) and has many industrial and consumer applications related to oxidation.
- Ozone is formed from dioxygen by the action of ultraviolet light and also atmospheric electrical discharges.
- The highest levels of ozone in the atmosphere are in the stratosphere, in a region also known as the ozone layer between about 10 km and 50 km above the surface.
