YES! You will be surprised to know that the ozone gas whose layer protects us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays in fact a pollutant at the ground level! The ozone gas is present in the upper reaches of the atmosphere called the stratosphere. It is formed when the sun's ultraviolet rays split an oxygen molecule O2 into two oxygen atoms. When this oxygen atom collides with an oxygen molecule, ozone (O3) is formed.
However, ozone which is found in the lowest layer of the atmosphere (troposphere) is usually a man-made phenomenon -- emitted from vehicle and industries -- combine with oxygen in the presence of sunlight.
When the percentage of ozone at ground level reaches alarmingly high levels pollution occurs. This happens more often on a more clear summer day when the air temperature is quite high.
A percentage of ozone gives rise to health issues such as chest pain, congestion and coughing. It may also damage vegetation and ecosystem leading to a substantial decline in the yield of food crops.
Ozone levels across cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata have been found to be much higher than permissible limit during summer. Scientists fear that ozone pollution could pose a serious threat by 2050 in most cities around the world due to higher temperatures caused by global warming.
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