Words of This Topic
- Ozone: a blue gas of three oxygen atoms, O₃
- Nascent oxygen: a single reactive oxygen atom freshly split from a molecule
- Ultraviolet rays: invisible, high energy rays that come from the Sun
- Stratosphere: the part of the atmosphere that holds the ozone layer
- Protective layer: another name for the ozone layer, because it shields life from ultraviolet radiation
- Depletion: a steady reduction, a thinning out
- Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): the main chemicals that destroy the ozone layer
- Ozone hole: a region where the ozone layer has become extremely thin
- Cataract: a disease in which the lens of the eye turns cloudy and sight becomes blurred
- Hydrofluorocarbon: a chemical encouraged as a replacement for CFCs