While you may think of ozone as a welcome element in our Earth’s atmosphere that protects us from the sun’s harmful radiation, ground-level ozone that we breathe is a harmful pollutant.
That’s why ozone is good up high, but bad nearby.
The stratospheric ozone layer acts like a sunscreen for the planet, absorbing much of the sun’s UV-B radiation. This radiation would otherwise damage our skin cells, increase skin cancer risk, harm our eyes, and affect plants and ecosystems.
But down at ground level, the ozone that we breathe is a lung-irritating pollutant. Breathing ozone pollution can trigger asthma symptoms and make it harder to breathe, especially for young children, older adults, and people with heart or lung disease…