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Article Series: Global Warming
Global Warming & Climate Change -
What Do I Need To Know?
The
Ozone Layer and Your Health
The depletion of the ozone layer is not some
abstract scientific finding that is only of interest to scientists.
The depletion of the ozone layer is important to the preservation
of human health. That is, in order to preserve human
health and all life on earth, it is absolutely necessary that
the
ozone layer be protected. Why is the depletion of the ozone
layer so important to protecting human health?
The
impact of the ozone layer and the depletion of the ozone
layer, on human health have been felt more acutely in some
areas than other. People who live south of the equator in
countries such as Australia and Chile have felt the consequences
of the
ozone layer. In many parts of the southern hemisphere, including
the aforementioned cities, people have had to deal with the
consequences of a thinning ozone layer. This strikes especially
hard during the spring months when UV alerts are given to citizens
during the spring months when lobes of ozone depleted stratospheric
air pockets move outward from the Antarctic. To make matters
worse, the ozone above some of these areas can reach as low
as half the normal concentration of ozone. This means that
UV
radiation
will reach these areas by a much greater percentage.
What
sort of impact does the depletion of the ozone layer have
on human health? In some of these areas, it is estimated
that one out of every three Australians will develop
some kind of serious skin cancer in his or her lifetime.
Many of these kinds of skin cancers are serious enough that
they can be fatal.
Clearly, the depletion of the ozone layer can have very serious
and direct effects on human health, especially to people living
in ozone-depleted areas.
What about the human health of populations living in the northern
hemisphere? Those of us living in the northern hemisphere are
certainly not immune to seeing the problems that populations
south of the equator have had to experience. Scientists have
noted a thinning ozone layer in the northern hemisphere as
well. Concerned over the depletion of the ozone layer, the
United States took action. The environmental protection agency
working in conjunction with the national oceanic and atmospheric
administration and the centers for disease control put together
the now-standard UV index. The UV index is responsible for
providing citizens with a kind of daily forecast that predicts
the UV exposure for that day. The goal of the UV index is to
remind people of the dangers of being exposed to high amounts
of ultraviolet radiation.
How
does the UV index work? The UV index is issued by the
weather service and provides complete information for over
58 cities. The UV index is put together using measurements
read from satellites that measure the stratospheric ozone levels.
These are combined with other local weather patterns to calculate
many different local ozone level ratings. Why should you protect
yourself from UV radiation? UV radiation can be directly responsible
for many human health problems, including cancer, eye damage,
skin aging, cataracts, and even blindness.
The sun and UV radiation can also have many chronic effects
that are caused by long-term exposure to UV rays. The normal
response to UV rays over a long period of time is normal skin
aging, which may include coarsening of the skin, wrinkling,
yellowing of the skin, and heavily pigmented or unpigmented
skin. Furthermore, regular exposure to UV rays from the sun
can also cause more serious problems, including skin cancer.
Skin cancer has been on the rise, and the depletion of the
ozone layer has been at least partly responsible for the greater
number of skin cancer cases, researchers believe.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2007
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