Ozone

How can scientific knowledge be translated into political change? Ozone Discourse examines the first global environment treaty, the Montreal Protocol and its subsequent revisions, which was a highly effective collaboration among scientists, policymakers and activists. The treaties were the work of a small group of experts who, without conventional political or economic resources, were able to persuade most of the world's nations to agree to reduce and then eliminate chlorofluorocarbons. These experts used their understanding of atmospheric science to supplement the policymakers' short-term perspective with a wider, intergenerational timeframe characteristic of global environmental problems. Litfin argues that the discipline of international relations requires a broader conception of power in order to accomodate the knowledge-based problems such as environmental degradation.

Oxygen-Ozone therapy is a complementary approach less known than homeopathy and acupuncture because it has come of age only three decades ago. This book clarifies that, in the often nebulous field of natural medicine, the biological bases of ozone therapy are totally in line with classical biochemistry, physiological and pharmacological knowledge. Ozone is an oxidizing molecule, a sort of super active oxygen, which, by reacting with blood components generates a number of chemical messengers responsible for activating crucial biological functions such as oxygen delivery, immune activation, release of hormones and induction of antioxidant enzymes, which is an exceptional property for correcting the chronic oxidative stress present in atherosclerosis, diabetes and cancer. Moreover, by inducing nitric oxide synthase, ozone therapy may mobilize endogenous stem cells, which will promote regeneration of ischemic tissues. The description of these phenomena offers the first comprehensive picture for understanding how ozone works and why. When properly used as a real drug within therapeutic range, ozone therapy does not only does not procure adverse effects but yields a feeling of wellness. Half the book describes the value of ozone treatment in several diseases, particularly cutanious infection and vascular diseases where ozone really behaves as a “wonder drug”. The book has been written for clinical researchers, physicians and ozone therapists, but also for the layman or the patient interested in this therapy.

Even though ozone has been applied for a long time for disinfection and oxidation in water treatment, there is lack of critical information related to transformation of organic compounds. This has become more important in recent years, because there is considerable concern about the formation of potentially harmful degradation products as well as oxidation products from the reaction with the matrix components. In recent years, a wealth of information on the products that are formed has accumulated, and substantial progress in understanding mechanistic details of ozone reactions in aqueous solution has been made. Based on the latter, this may allow us to predict the products of as yet not studied systems and assist in evaluating toxic potentials in case certain classes are known to show such effects. Keeping this in mind, Chemistry of Ozone in Water and Wastewater Treatment: From Basic Principles to Applications discusses mechanistic details of ozone reactions as much as they are known to date and applies them to the large body of studies on micropollutant degradation (such as pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors) that is already available. Extensively quoting the literature and updating the available compilation of ozone rate constants gives the reader a text at hand on which his research can be based. Moreover, those that are responsible for planning or operation of ozonation steps in drinking water and wastewater treatment plants will find salient information in a compact form that otherwise is quite disperse. A critical compilation of rate constants for the various classes of compounds is given in each chapter, including all the recent publications. This is a very useful source of information for researchers and practitioners who need kinetic information on emerging contaminants. Furthermore, each chapter contains a large selection of examples of reaction mechanisms for the transformation of micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, fuel additives, solvents, taste and odor compounds, cyanotoxins. Authors: Prof. Dr. Clemens von Sonntag, Max-Planck-Institut für Bioanorganische Chemie, Mülheim an der Ruhr, and Instrumentelle Analytische Chemie, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany and Prof. Dr. Urs von Gunten, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, and Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.

This book presents updated and relevant information on the tropospheric ozone problem and its effects on the wellbeing of plants and human health. The contributions here present in-depth knowledge about history, pattern, sources, environmental factors and other necessary aspects of the tropospheric ozone problem. The book provides a balanced view of current developments on the effects of the tropospheric ozone on plant and human health, crop production and ecosystem services. In addition to the effects of the tropospheric ozone on growth and physiological and biochemical traits, it also considers the molecular basis of plant responses to ozone. The book encompasses a holistic view on various interconnected issues of ozone pollution, and will appeal to scientists from all over the world.

Peter Fabian and Martin Dameris provide a concise yet comprehensive overview of established scientific knowledge about ozone in the atmosphere. They present both ozone changes and trends in the stratosphere, as well as the effects of overabundance in the troposphere including the phenomenon of photosmog. Aspects such as photochemistry, atmospheric dynamics and global ozone distribution as well as various techniques for ozone measurement are treated. The authors outline the various causes for ozone depletion, the effects of ozone pollution and the relation to climate change. The book provides a handy reference guide for researchers active in atmospheric ozone research and a useful introduction for advanced students specializing in this field. Non-specialists interested in this field will also profit from reading the book. Peter Fabian can look back on a life-long active career in ozone research, having first gained international recognition for his measurements of the global distribution of halogenated hydrocarbons. He also pioneered photosmog investigations in the metropolitan areas of Munich, Berlin, Athens and Santiago de Chile, and his KROFEX facility provided controlled ozone fumigation of adult tree canopies for biologists to investigate the effects of ozone increases on forests. Besides having published a broad range of scientific articles, he has also been the author or editor of numerous books. From 2002 to 2005 he served the European Geosciences Union (EGU) as their first and Founding President. Martin Dameris is a prominent atmospheric modeler whose interests include the impacts of all kinds of natural and man-made disturbances on the atmospheric system. His scientific work focuses on the connections between ozone and climate changes. For many years he has been an active contributor to the WMO scientific ozone depletion assessments, which have been used to monitor the depletion and recovery of the ozone layer in accordance with the Montreal Protocol.

Tropospheric ozone has long been recognized as a major environmental concern. Levels of ozone concentration have grown dramatically and the effects of ozone exposure have been examined in virtually thousands of studies worldwide. This timely new reference presents the state of the art in ozone regulation, human health effects, agricultural implications, and the economics of ozone reduction. Tropospheric Ozone guides you through the history of air pollution legislation and cites government initiatives to reduce ozone emissions. Ozone concentration data is supplied for a variety of geographic regions in examining the causes of ozone concentration and its potential effects on human populations, crops, and forests. Important issues such as crop yield, plant growth, and crop losses due to exposure are addressed, which will help develop an understanding of the economic implications of agricultural damage. New information is presented regarding risk assessment and human monitoring studies. EPA guidelines are reviewed, and potential health problems associated with ozone exposure are discussed in a practical, informative format. This valuable reference will benefit air pollution engineers, environmental consultants, government agency employees, regulators, industry professionals, health professionals, crop and soil scientists, environmental health and safety professionals, risk assessment professionals, and students in the environmental sciences.