How are CFCs harmful for the environment and living beings?
Answer:
CFCs contain both chlorine and fluorine. CFCs are very stable and do not get degraded by any natural process. In the ozone layer present in the outer region of the atmosphere (25-40 km above sea level), CFCs are dissociated by ultraviolet light to release free chlorine atoms. Free chlorine atoms catalyse the breakdown of ozone molecules (03) into oxygen. This results in degradation of the ozone layer. Thinning of the ozone layer would allow penetration of ultraviolet light into Earth’s atmosphere causing blindness, skin cancer and mutations.