Ozone
Ozone is a form of oxygen. The oxygen that we breathe is made up of 2 oxygen atoms (O2), but ozone is made of 3 oxygen atoms (O3). Most ozone in the air is found high up in the atmosphere, between 19 and 30 km above the Earth's surface. The ozone here forms what we call the ozone layer. Ozone is very good at filtering out harmful UV rays coming from the Sun, protecting life on Earth.
Ozone does occur in very small amounts lower down in the atmosphere near the Earth's surface, where it is made by a reaction between sunlight and car pollution. Ground level ozone is found in summertime smog and is harmful to the environment. We want ozone higher up in the atmosphere, but not at ground level.
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