Good News - Ozone Shows Signs of Recovery

Ozone Layer Shows Signs of Recovery, Scientists Claim

May 04, 2006 — By Patricia Reaney, Reuters
LONDON — The ozone layer is showing signs of recovering,
thanks to a drop in ozone-depleting chemicals, but it is
unlikely to stabilise at pre-1980 levels, researchers said
on Wednesday.

Depletion of the earth's protective ozone layer is caused
by the chemical action of chlorine and bromine released by
man-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are used in
aerosol sprays and cooling equipment.

Ozone-depleting chemicals were banned by the 1987 Montreal
Protocol which has now been ratified by 180 nations.

"We now have some confidence that the ozone layer is
responding to the decreases in chlorine levels in the
atmosphere due to the levelling off and decrease of CFCs,"
said Dr Betsy Weatherhead, of the University of Colorado
in Boulder.

"Not only is the ozone layer getting better, we feel it is
due to the Montreal Protocol," she added in an interview.

The depletion of the ozone layer, which absorbs most of
the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet radiation,
increases the risk of skin cancer and cataracts in humans
and may harm crop yields and sea life.

Despite the signs of recovery, Weatherhead, who reported
the findings in the journal Nature, said people should
still protect themselves from harmful ultraviolet rays.
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