American scientists have warned of the threat of an ozone hole over the United States. The corresponding study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, briefly reported by Harvard University (USA).
Experts have shown that in the summertime the ozone layer over the central part of the United States is vulnerable to erosion. Experts believe that the destruction of the protective stratospheric layer may occur due to chlorine dichloride, the increased concentrations of which have been recorded in the atmosphere over the United States.
The main danger posed by the thinning or disappearance of the ozone layer is the lack of protection from ultraviolet radiation, one of the main causes of skin cancer. Scientists estimate that a one percent decrease in ozone in the stratosphere contributes to an increase of three percent in cases of this disease (that is, an additional one hundred thousand patients will appear). The United States currently has about 3.5 million cases of skin cancer each year.
Experts note that, in addition to anthropogenic factors, volcanic eruptions contribute to the degradation of the ozone layer. Scientists came to their conclusions after analyzing long-term data on the dynamics of ozone content in the stratosphere over the United States.