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Ozone depletion: implications for the veterinarian.
Man has inadvertently modified the stratosphere. There
is a good possibility that the ozone layer is being depleted by the use
of jet aircraft (SST), chlorofluoromethane propellants, and nitrogen
fertilizers. Under unpolluted conditions, the production of ozone equals
its destruction. By man's intervention, however, the destruction may
exceed the production. The potential outcome is increased intensity of
solar ultraviolet (280-400 nm) radiation and penetration to the earth's
surface of previously absorbed wavelengths below about 280 nm. The
increased ultraviolet radiation would increase the likelihood of skin
cancer in man and ocular squamous cell carcinoma in cattle. The climate
also might be modified, possibly in an undesirable way.
PMID: 568617 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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