Feel Free to Email Me At: sabutler@U.Arizona.EDU.
A Little Bit About Me!
Hi, my name is Stephanie Butler and I am currently a Freshman at the University of Arizona. I was born and raised in Danville, California. Danville is a small town in Northern California about 40 miles east of San Fransisco. At the University of Arizona I am majoring in Retail and Consumer Sciences. With this major I hope one day to be a store manager and then eventually open my own retail store. I am also a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, and love it very much. Some things that I like to do are shop, hang out with friends, go to the movies, sports (both playing sports and watching sports), and many other things. So now you know a little bit about me. Feel free to email me anytime!
Last Updated January 23,2004
Something About the Earth and its Environment
Health Effects Caused by the Depletion of the Ozone Layer
For 30 years there has been a concern that anthropogenic damage to the earth's stratospheric ozone layer will lead to an increase of solar UV radiation reaching the earth's surface, with a consequent adverse on human health. The depletion of ozone over North America and Europe is taking place at a faster rate than previously believed. The rate is as high as 0.5% a year, which would shorten the time until the ozone depletion can be expected to have serious health and ecological consequences from a century to hardly more than a decade. The depletion of the ozone layer can be caused by exhaust gases of engines of aircrafts and by larger worldwide use of nitrogen fertilizer.
Atmospheric ozone absorbs ultraviolet light from the sun and protects plants and animals from its damaging effects. Loss of ozone from the earth's outer atmosphere could have dire consequences for human health. The effects of ozone depletion on health are due mainly to increased action of ultraviolet B on the skin and eyes. Ultraviolet B directly causes Erythema(sunburn), Keratitis(snow blindness), skin cancer, and cataracts. Estimates of the skin cancer disease associated with ozone depletion suggest that an additional peak incidence of 5000 cases of skin cancer per year in the UK would occur around the mid-part of this century. The indirect effects of ultraviolet B is a decreased immune surveillance.
Sources:
Diffey, Brian. Physics in Medicine and Biology. 1/7/2004, Vol. 49 Issue 1, pRI, 11p
Godlee, Fiona. "Dangers of Ozone Depletion". British Medical Journal.11/23/1991, Vol. 303 Issue 6813
Encyclopedia Americana.Vol. 21
Here is the link to LAB #2~Atomic Structure