In 1985, scientists discovered that there was a hole or thinning in the ozone layer above the Antarctic at certain times of the year. This was caused by several factors, including the use of chemicals called CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). These chemicals rise into the stratosphere. Sunlight breaks them down and chlorine is released.
Scientists have learned that chlorine thins the ozone layer.
| DID YOU KNOW? Ozone isn't always helpful. When it is in the stratosphere, we couldn't survive without its protection from the sun's rays. But when ozone forms in the troposphere where we live, it becomes unhealthy. In this layer of the atmosphere, it is a main ingredient of smog.
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