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Friday, September 14, 2007
2:01:00 PM EDT

Ozone Layer En Route to Recovery


World Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Ozone Treaty -- It's an environmental and public health victory in the making:  The stratosphere's ozone layer, which protects us from much of the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation, is on the road to recovery after a global phase out of ozone-depleting chemicals.

Twenty years ago, Sept. 16, 1987, some 24 nations signed the Montreal Protocol, which called for a gradual phase out of the ozone-killing chemicals (mostly chlorofluorocarbons). Now, a total of 191 nations have signed on and things are looking up for the ozone layer. Those nations are meeting in Montreal from Sept. 14-21 to mark the anniversary and to hold negotiations to possibly hasten the complete chemical phase out, which is scheduled to end in 2030 for developed nations and 2040 for developing nations.

This image shows the ozone layer on Sept. 9, 2007. Purple and dark blue indicate low, unsafe levels of ozone indicative of where a hole is forming. Credit: NOAA
Graphic: This image shows the ozone layer on Sept. 9, 2007. Purple and dark blue indicate low, unsafe levels of ozone indicative of where a hole is forming. Picture Credit: NOAA

The ozone layer itself has not gotten any thinner since 1998 and is expected to get back to its normal levels between 2060 and 2075. (See a video animation below.) It will take this long because the ozone-depleting chemicals linger in the atmosphere for decades – some up to 100 years. These chemicals include former propellants for aerosol sprays, as well as coolants used in refrigerators and air conditioners, and some chemicals in fire extinguishers, among other things.

While the ozone layer is healing, we can expect an ozone hole to continue to form over Antarctica each year.

Health Benefits: A rebuilt ozone layer will reduce some of the effects ultraviolet rays have on human health, including sunburns, skin cancer and cataracts. UV rays also compromise the immune system and can damage sensitive crops such as soybeans.

As the ozone rebuilds, the number of people who get skin cancer will decline. The EPA estimates that by 2165, the ozone effort will have prevented 6.3 millionU.S. deaths from skin cancer. Experts estimate that there would have been an extra 100 million cases of skin cancer worldwide had the Montreal Protocol not been adopted.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. One million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer every year; one dies every hour from it. Skin cancer is the No. 1 killer of young women ages 25-29.

Global Cooperation: The ozone story is also important because it shows how the nations of the world can come together and solve a global environmental problem. All nations worked together on ozone. In the U.S., private industry, the federal government, the military and environmental groups teamed up to solve the problem. Industry created a seamless transition from ozone-depleting chemicals to ozone-friendly ones, according to government officials.

Drusilla Hufford, director of the EPA's Stratospheric Protection Division, said that the health benefits of the Montreal Protocol were "for us a very big accomplishment," and that the industry transition was also a big success story. She says the gradual chemical phase out shows that “it’s possible to solve problems incrementally.”

What You Can Do: As a consumer, there are a few things you can do to help protect the ozone layer and yourself (because the ozone won't be completely restored for at least 50 more years): Stay informed about ozone and high UV Index days where you live; if you buy new appliances, have the old ones taken away (so they can be recycled and their old chemical refrigerants destroyed); protect yourself from the sun; and if you are replacing your air conditioner, ask for one that does not use ozone-depleting chemicals. The new systems use hydrofluorocarbon blends (HFCs); these do not destroy ozone. If you are having your air conditioning serviced, "use a reputable firm that follows the EPA no-venting laws," said Mack McFarland, chief atmospheric scientist at DuPont. Air conditioning service companies must use a recovery machine to pump out the refrigerant gas so it doesn't escape. "It's illegal to knowingly vent these" gases, said McFarland.

A Model for Fighting Climate Change?  International cooperation on ozone would appear to be a good model for the world to follow as it tries to address climate change. McFarland warns, however, that the "climate change issue is orders of magnitude more difficult." While the Montreal Protocol addressed a "confined segment of the global economy," McFarland said that climate change is related to "the very fabric of our society -- the way we use and produce energy."

He said "the science is real" on climate change and he fully supports the International Panel on Climate Change. His company, DuPont, is part of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of companies and environmental groups pushing for U.S. reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

"If you look at the U.S. CAP statement, we can do this without significant impacts on the economy, but it won't be free," he said. "The longer you wait, the harder it's going to be."

Let’s get started!  What do you think?  Post your comments here.


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Video Caption: The animation above shows the projected recovery of the ozone hole over time. The Montreal Protocol placed caps on ozone-depleting compounds, but the ozone layer takes time to recover as the compounds that had already been emitted are eliminated by natural processes. With no new compounds affecting the ozone layer, it will begin rebuilding. (Source: NOAA)

 



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