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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!harpo!floyd!cmcl2!lanl-a!jlg
From: jlg@lanl-a.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Spray cans and ozone
Message-ID: <3471@lanl-a.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-Nov-83 20:51:12 EST
Article-I.D.: lanl-a.3471
Posted: Mon Nov  7 20:51:12 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 9-Nov-83 01:01:22 EST
References: <571@ihuxw.UUCP> How many aerosol spray cans does it take to bring burning vengance from ultraviolet radiation? -Ben Cranston
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lines: 22

Well the answer seems to be a lot!!  In fact most of the interest in this issue
seems to fizzled when it was discovered to be a minute effect.  Most of the
ultraviolet dose received is during the times when the ozone layer above is
VERY far below its average level.  The amount of ozone between you and the sun
varies with time just like other phenomenon.  Sometimes there isn't very much.
It's during those times when you get zapped. 

Now, even assuming that spray cans can deplete the average ozone level by 50%
the average dose increase for plants and animals living in the open would still
be trivial.  However, the most recent numbers I saw indicated that tripling
the worlds fleurocarbon (sp) production would lead to a steady state depletion
of the ozone average by about 7-10% -- really trivial.  The thing is, when 
ultraviolet penetrates to the lower atmosphere, it encounters oxygen and makes
ozone, which then blocks the ultraviolet light.  

The whole ozone thing was a public scare generated by premature media coverage
of a scientific issue.  When the problem was thoroughly studied, the danger
proved to be an illusion.


Well maybe we should worry about the ozone layer getting lower in the 
atmosphere?