How is the change in the ozone layer affecting people today?

Question

How is the change in the ozone layer affecting people today?

Answer 1

Effects of ozone depletion on humans included increased Basal and Squamous Cell Carcinomas, Malignant Melanoma, and cortical cataracts.

FYI, you posted a question about ozone depletion in the global warming section. There is a minor relationship between the ozone layer and global warming, but these are really two separate problems. The mass media and pop culture often confuses these two issues.

Global warming is related to increasing amounts of greenhouse gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc.), and holes in the ozone layer are caused primarily by CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons).

“Holes” in the ozone are areas where the ozone layer has thinned, or has partially been depleted. CFCs are mainly released at northern latitudes--mostly from Europe, Russia, Japan, and North America. Once in the atmosphere, CFC’s reacts with sunlight and ozone molecules in such a way that the ozone breaks down.  Thinning of the ozone layer has been most dramatic in the sky above the South Pole. A combination of specific weather conditions and CFC chemistry created this hole above Antarctica.

The Montreal Protocol is a wonderful example of an international treaty designed to protect the environment. It went into effect on January 1, 1989. Due to its widespread adoption and implementation, the concentrations of the most significant ozone-depleting molecules have leveled off, or begun to decrease.

This concept of ozone layer depletion was politically controversial in the 1990s but has broadly been accepted by the scientific community. Paul Crutzen, Mario Molina, and F. Sherwood Rowland were awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering the chemical mechanism that links CFCs to ozone depletion. The Montreal Protocol was negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations and is widely seen as a model for the Kyoto Protocol. The scientific basis of ozone depletion has been disputed by some global warming skeptics and related institutions, including Patrick Michaels, Steven Milloy, and Fred Singer (this is one more reason why these guys should not be taken seriously).

Answer 2

When there is change in Ozone layer, the UltraViolet rays of the Sun fall directly on the Man's skin, it causes major diseases like Skin Cancer.

Answer 3

a kind of sunlight ray goes in the earth and makes the climate hotter. Therefore, causing global warming. Now, global warming makes seasons earlier or makes them out of balance. This will destroy the order of how things grow and of course make everything HOTTER which all of us don't want.

Answer 4

there are 4.5 millions and more crores of holes are in the o3 layer

Answer 5

So far, I can tell where I live in Australia, our climate is changing quite significantly. A Small Example:  Flowers bloom so much earlier in the year than ever before in my life time.

Answer 6

more skin cancer. eg in Australia skin cancer is geting more and more prevalent.