Ozone layer destruction. Conceptual image of an aerosol can being used to spray the Earth, representing the gases used in aerosol cans that can affect the Earth's ozone layer. Before being banned by the Montreal Protocol in 1987, chlorofluorocarbon gases (CFCs) were among those used as the propellant in aerosols to generate the dispensing pressure. The chemical reactions involving CFCs eventually led to the destruction of ozone high up in the upper layers of the atmosphere. This ozone protects life on the Earth from the deadly effects of the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. The Moon is at top centre.