The Toxicological Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident Radiation has both beneficial and harmful effects. The most detrimental health effect on humans, is the incidence of cancer, which has been studied. Humans are exposed to radiation more than they realize. They are exposed medically with x-rays, just by being outside with cosmic rays, and by accidents such as at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Exposure to radiation is high and more studies are done which improve radiation protection.
2005. Global Warming.discoverychannel.org. EPA. 2006. U.S. Department of State website.
The Ozone layer is depleting due to man made chemicals we use everyday; this depletion causes an increase in the risk of someone developing skin cancer, and is potentially life-threatening. The ozone layer is a gas that protects the earth from the dangerous UV rays emitted from the sun. (Freedman, page 2934) Due to man made chemicals, the ozone layer is depleting which causes many problems for sustainable life on earth. The rays entering the earth’s stratosphere without the ozone layer will cause damage to many things, such as someone’s eyes or immune system, aquatic life, or plants. Another one of the consequences of ozone layer depletion is that it will cause an increase in the risk of developing skin cancer.
At ground level, though, high concentrations of ozone can be harmful. The Ozone Layer Ozone gas forms a layer all around the earth high in the stratosphere. It serves as a vital and effective protective barrier from the sun's ultraviolet rays. In recent years, scientists have sounded alarms internationally about the depletion of the ozone layer, citing chemical pollution as the major cause. A specific class of chemical compounds called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are most often identified as ozone destroyers.
The ozone layer ... ... middle of paper ... ...p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phototoxicity>. "Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) And/or Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)." Toxic Substances Hydrology Program. U.S. Geological Survey, 10 Aug. 2010. Web.
One eruption actually has the power to decrease the temperature all over the globe and create a dust cloud that could linger as long as five years. Magma also contains gases that make a small but significant contribution to ozone depletion. The gargantuan eruptions of Tambora and Krakatoa in the nineteenth century, which will soon be discussed, are great examples of how volcanic eruptions affect global climate change. The Effects of Volcanoes on the Earth S... ... middle of paper ... .... Available from: http://netsurf.geo.mtu.edu/~ekc/climate_volc2.html.
The Effect of Stratospheric Ozone Depletion on Aquatic Ecosystems Introduction Throughout the years, advances in technology and scientific development have greatly influenced our global community. Various anthropogenic factors, such as the increased combustion of fossil fuels and widespread usage of manmade chemicals, have greatly affected the planet's atmosphere and it's ozone layer. Ozone Depletion The stratospheric ozone layer is the Earth's natural means of protection from the Sun's damaging ultraviolet rays. Some of the chemicals most harmful to the ozone layer are chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. These compounds are chemically inert gasses that, when introduced to the stratosphere, speed up the depletion of the ozone layer.
When harmful ultraviolet-B rays (wavelength 240-320 NM) come through the atmosphere, the O3 molecules absorb the energy and one oxygen atom detaches from the molecule. The stray atom will eventually collide with another O2 molecule and ozone will be reformed. With this process, the level of ozone remains constant, as it has for millions of years.3 Recently, a number of chemicals have been found to aid in the rapid destruction of ozone. Most of these chemicals are compounds called chlorofluorocarbons, or CFC’s. It is difficult to ban them outright because they have hundreds of industrial uses.
2005. Vol. 57B, #3, 269-271. Sarmiento, J.L., Slater, R.D., & Gnanadesikan, A. “Effects of patchy ocean fertilization on atmospheric carbon dioxide and biological production.” Global Geobiochemical Cycles.
Retrieved from http://www.decodedscience.com/ozone-layer-depletion-greenhouse-effect/24110 Reay, D. (2010, May 9). The encyclopedia of the Earth. Greenhouse gas. Retrieved from http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/153147/