In this unit I will discuss oxygen, ozone and life: the ozone layer today; oxygen and life; and cancer. Ozone is a form of oxygen which is a gas and an essential ingredient of the air that we breathe. Aerosol spray: the small squirts of fine mist of tiny droplets, called an aerosol. The term aerosol is synonymous with spray can. The compound CFCs is used in spray cans to push the active ingredient out of the can. Ozone Depletion: depletion of the ozone content of the stratosphere will cause temperature changes on earth and more ultraviolet radiation will penetrate to the earth.
My unit will include lesson plans, bibliographies for teacher and students, a vocabulary list, hands on activities and a film. This unit will be taught in the eighth grade science class for two weeks.
We realize that we play a major role in some of the problems that plague our environment. One such problem is the thinning of the ozone layer. It was not until after the ozone layer was developed that there was life on the land surface of the Earth. The ozone layer protects mankind and animals from ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ultraviolet radiation can kill living things.
Scientific studies confirmed that one chemical compound responsible for the destruction of the ozone is chlorofluor-ocarbons. This particular chemical compound is used widely in many commodities from propellants in spray cans, to the manufacture of refrigerators and microchips.
It was in the spring of 1987 when scientists noticed that 11 miles above Antarctica half the ozone had been destroyed. Where the amount of chlorine oxides went up, the amount of ozone went down. The presence of chlorine atoms in the stratosphere is being blamed for the destruction of the ozone.
The question may be asked, are we self-destructing? You may be able to answer yourself by the knowledge that the hole in the sky is now the size of the United States and the depth of Mount Everest. The reason for concern is that in the 1970s, ozone was identified as a key feature in the earth’s ecosystem. Today, there are some corrective methods being implemented to correct the thinning of the ozone.
