Sherwood Rowland, the Nobel prize winner, who demonstrated that the ozone layer could be destroyed by chemical pollutants, has died aged 84. Sherwood Rowland was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 as the result of his work on the depletion of the Earth’s ozone layer. The Science Insider notes that as long ago as 1974, Sherwood Rowland wrote a paper showing that the chlorine atoms released from chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) compounds, which were, at the time, commonly used as refrigerants, cleaning solvents, and in aerosol spray, were capable of causing a chain reaction in the atmosphere. The result of this reaction was the destruction of ozone molecules. The research showed that a single chlorine atom was capable of destroying as many as 100,000 ozone molecules. Furthermore, the chlorine could remain in at atmosphere for decades.
CFCs and other contributory substances are referred to as ozone-depleting substances (ODS). As the ozone layer prevents the most harmful ultraviolet light from passing through the Earth's atmosphere, then decreases in ozone have become a worldwide concern. This concern was triggered by Sherwood Rowland's findings and his research became an important step for the environment movement.
