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The ozone layer shields the earth from most of the harmful radiation and light comming from the sun. The ozone reflects and absorbs the ultraviolet rays that try to come in. Without this kind of protection, all living things will be effected by these UV rays. Skin cancer develops in most living mammals as a cause of an overabundance of the suns ultraviolet rays. The ozone layer is located in the earths stratosphere. The ozone layer is located from about fifteen-to-thirty kilometers above the earths surface.
The ozone is made up of three oxygen atoms bonded to form O 3. This mixture is different from the oxygen we breathe. The ozone is colored blue and has a remarkably strong odor. The ozone molecule is a very rare molecule. If you are given ten million air molecules, only three molecules will be the ozone molecule. Even a small portion of the ozone will play an important role of protecting the earth.
The ozone absorbs a portion of of the radiation that is given off by the sun. The most important radiation the ozone absorbs is the ultraviolet light, UVB. The UVB light has linked to skin cancer, cataracts, damage to crops, and some types of marine life. The types of effects that are formed by overexposure to these harmful UV rays are skin cancer (melanoma and non melanoma), cataracts and other types of eye damage, immune system suppression, and premature aging of the skin. It is a fact that one in every five Americans will develop some type of skin cancer in their lifetime.
Also, every hour one American dies of skin cancer. The most deadly type of skin cancer is melanoma. This cancer is the most serious and fastest growing cancer in the United States today. The case of this cancer in the past two decades have doubled. This figure is still expected to rise. Non melanoma skin cancer are not as deadly as the melanoma cancer.
In 1999 more than 960, 000 cases of this cancer will form. From these 960, 000 cases, 2, 000 people will die. The disease can be treated if detected early. The types of the non melanoma cancers are basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. The basal cell carcinomas forms small skin colored bumps on the head and neck areas. This cancer will not spread, but might cause a considerable amount of bone damage.
Squamous cell carcinomas form tumors which are red scaly patches. This cancer, unlike the other, can spread to other parts of the body. Cataracts can also form from over exposure to the sun. Cataracts are formed in the lens of the eye. The symptoms are a cloudy vision from loss of transparency. This symptom can be treated by modern eye surgery.
If this problem gets worse, it could lead to blindness. Most of these cancers and diseases can be prevented by helping the ozone cure itself. The factors which harm the ozone are mostly the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). These products were made over fifty years ago.
The products which are label as CFCs are refrigerants, solvents, and foam blowing agents. Other industrial chemicals such as methyl chloroform and carbon tetrachloride also harm the ozone. The chemical that is in all of these substances that kill the ozone the fastest is chlorine. Over 100, 000 molecules of O 3 can be destroyed by one molecule of chlorine.
There is a plus to all of this chaos. The ozone will revive itself, but not as fast as we can destroy it. It will take at least fifty years of healing to completely heal. We can prevent this killing of the ozone by conserving the trips we make in our vehicles and not to use chlorine products and other products which give off CFCs.
Free research essays on topics related to: squamous cell, skin cancer, ultraviolet rays, ozone layer, uv rays
Research essay sample on Ultraviolet Rays Uv Rays
