Good and Bad Ozone: How Can It Be Both?
Ozone can be good or bad depending on where it is located. Most people know about the “good” or stratospheric ozone layer. It exists in the atmosphere nine to 31 miles above the earth and protects us from harmful ultraviolet rays. Stratospheric ozone also helps stop heat from escaping the earth. Without this “good” ozone, life as we know it would not exist. Closer to ground-level, up to two miles above the earth’s surface, the formation of ozone is no longer helpful to us. “Bad” ozone, also known as ground-level ozone or smog, causes air pollution and is harmful to our health and the environment. Stratospheric and ground-level ozone are identical in terms of their chemical make-up and this is what often causes confusion. What makes ozone “good” or “bad” is where it is located on the planet. And we can’t just push up the ground-level ozone into the stratosphere.
