What is Ozone Pollution?

Ozone usually exists in the upper atmosphere about 30 kilometers from the ground. It can effectively block ultraviolet rays and protect human health.

In recent years, as one of the environmental pollution, ozone pollution has attracted more and more scholars' attention. Ozone is formed by the photochemical reaction of antioxidants and hydrocarbons in the atmosphere, which are illuminated by the sun. Ozone is widely used in people's daily life, for example, it can be used to disinfect food and water. However, when the ozone concentration around the human living area exceeds a certain limit, it will cause pollution such as ash territory and photochemical smog, which will seriously affect normal production and life. From the actual situation, the content of ozone in the air is lower than that of other components, so scientific research on ozone pollution is still insufficient. ^[1]

In response to increasing ozone pollution, the new "Ambient Air Quality Standard" (GB 3095-2012) implemented in China has added ozone (03) monitoring items. The new national standard for ozone control standards is a daily average of 8 hours of ozone concentration at a level of 100 g / m3 and a level of 160 g / m3. Incorporating standards for monitoring is the first step in preventing and controlling ozone pollution.

Reduce sources and control precursor emissions. Ozone is a typical secondary pollutant. Controlling its precursor emissions is the key to governance. The precursors of ozone are mainly nitrogen oxides and volatile organic pollutants, and these two pollutants are also precursors of secondary fine particles. Therefore, effectively controlling the emission of these two precursors is not only important for controlling ozone pollution, but also important for preventing and controlling PM2.5.

In addition, the generation of ozone is closely related to the emission characteristics of regional pollution sources such as transportation, petrochemical industries and coal-fired boilers, as well as terrain and meteorological conditions. ^[2]

On July 17, 2018, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment notified the results of the national air quality forecast consultation in mid-to-late July. In the next 10 days, the atmospheric diffusion conditions in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and the surrounding areas will be generally unfavorable. Affected by high temperature and enhanced ultraviolet radiation, O moderate pollution may occur in the south, and some cities may show severe O pollution. ^[3]