Introduction

  Do you know about the ozone layer? It was my first question on my interview. How about you? How much do you know about it? Many people do not know the seriousness of the ozone layer issue although it can cause fatal problems such as skin cancer, eye cataract, and even weakening our immune system.

  The Ozone layer is a layer that includes a relatively high concentrations of ozone. It protects us from biologically harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation which can cause some problems that I mentioned before. Actually, there are 3 sorts of UV based on its wavelength - UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C, all of which can cause some damages to human being but the damages from UV-B and UV-C are very harmful. Fortunately, they are screened out by the ozone layer that consists of Ozone(O3) divided two oxygen atoms(O₂) and an oxygen atom(O) when it is exposed to extremely energetic UV like UV-B and UV-C. And O2 is also divided two oxygen atoms(2O) which become O3 again by combining with O2. Ozone keeps us from UV-B and UV-C by circulating on that cycle.

  However, ozone holes where there is relatively low concentrations of ozone are coming to the fore all over the world. What creates the holes? The answer is chemical materials such as freon gas(CFCs) and halon gas(Br), both of which can destroy the ozone layer by changing O3 to O2, and one molecule of which can destroy 100,000 ozone molecules while staying at ozone layer for 100 years, which means cutting the cycle off. These dangerous molecules come from man made equipment which is very useful and necessary including refrigerants from refrigerators and air conditioners, materials for fire-extinguishing, spray and so on.

  Mankind has to consider the issue and solve it even though some equipment is essential. To solve this problem, we have to try to do it, and to try, we have to be aware of it. That's why I focused on how much people are aware of it and know about it and I had expected that people might know the issue is just dangerous but not specifically before I interviewed them.