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What is the difference between ground-level and stratospheric ozone? Individual humans vary in their ability to smell ozone some people can smell it at levels as low as 0.05 ppm. Ozone has a very characteristic pungent odor, and it can sometimes be detected after lightning strikes or during electrical discharges. Hot, sunny, and calm weather promotes ozone formation. Hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide gases react in the presence of sunlight to form ozone. Ozone is formed in the atmosphere through chemical reactions between pollutants emitted from vehicles, factories and other industrial sources, fossil fuels, combustion, consumer products, evaporation of paints, and many other sources. In metropolitan areas of California, ozone concentrations frequently exceed existing health-protective standards in the summertime. It forms in greater quantities on hot, sunny, calm days.
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Ozone is a powerful oxidant – its actions can be compared to household bleach, which can kill living cells (such as germs or human skin cells) upon contact.
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This pollutant forms in the atmosphere through complex reactions between chemicals directly emitted from vehicles, industrial plants, consumer products and many other sources. Ozone, an important component of smog, is a highly reactive and unstable gas capable of damaging living cells, such as those present in the linings of the human lungs.
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