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Is it possible that a car emitting smoke from the exhaust in Washington or New York will cause a traveler in Europe to feel pain in his lungs five days later? Scientists believe that polluting gases do migrate from continent to continent and that while crossing the Atlantic Ocean a chemical reaction with sunlight turns them into ozone gas, which causes inflammation in the lungs.
Last week, in one of the largest experiments ever conducted on air pollution, 40 British scientists went to the Azores to test whether the winds coming to Europe from America and even Asia carry pollutants with them. For example, according to the explanation, pollution created on the east coast of the USA migrates north to Canada and is then sucked into the jet stream (a fast stream of air in the upper atmosphere, blowing towards Europe) and arrives in Europe three to five days later.
In the experiment, the British scientists use research planes to measure the composition of pollutants in the jet stream. At the same time, scientists in the USA, Canada, France, Germany and Portugal will also do this.
Pollutant gases generally have a short life span; But some undergo changes and create new pollutants when they mix with each other and are exposed to sunlight. For example, pollutants such as sodium oxides, which are emitted from cars and power plants, and volatile organic compounds, which are also emitted from vehicles as well as from natural sources, react with sunlight and, according to information, form ozone. In the upper atmosphere, ozone filters sunlight and protects the skin from cancer. However, when ozone penetrates the lower atmosphere it may be dangerous.
In the 90s it was found that ozone levels in the south of England increased dramatically during hot summers when an easterly wind blew, bringing pollution from Europe. The United States fears that ozone originating from pollution from Asia (and especially from China, whose economy is developing at an accelerated rate) will reach the West Coast.
Guardian, Haaretz, voila!
Environmentalist - Earth
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