Ozone flares with fireworks festivities

Besides decorating the night skies this Fourth of July, fireworks across the United States will pollute them with ozone, according to a new study.

Bursts of ozone may accompany July 4 fireworks explosions. Photodisc

Ozone, or O3, plays a protective role in the upper atmosphere, where it’s produced naturally by ultraviolet (UV) radiation striking other oxygen molecules (O2 ).