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Global environmental change and health
Published in Kevin McCracken, David R. Phillips, Global Health, 2017
Kevin McCracken, David R. Phillips
As long ago as the early 1970s, researchers identified threats to the ozone layer from increasing atmospheric concentrations of man-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting industrial chemicals (e.g. halons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, carbon tetrachloride) used as refrigerants, solvents, foaming agents, aerosol propellants and the like. A few years later, definite evidence of stratospheric ozone thinning was found, with substantial so-called ‘holes’ observed over the Antarctic (1985) and later the Arctic.
Inhalant misuse reported to America’s Poison Centers, 2001–2021
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2023
Raymond L. Hogge, Henry A. Spiller, Sandhya Kistamgari, Marcel J. Casavant, Natalie Rine, Nichole L. Michaels, Motao Zhu, Gary A. Smith
The reversal in 2010 of the rate of “Freon and other propellants” misuse was abrupt and dramatic, and it coincided with the initiation of a 10-year plan by the US EPA to phase-out refrigerants that contain hydrochlorofluorocarbons through Section 608 of the Clean Air Act [27]. The Clean Air Act was amended in 1990 to establish long-term goals according to the Montreal Protocol, an international environmental agreement aimed at regulating the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances contributing to climate change [28]. The Montreal Protocol established the goal of completely phasing out hydrochlorofluorocarbons by the year 2030 [28]. To meet this goal, the US EPA banned the production, import, and use of the refrigerants FreonTM (also known as hydrochlorofluorocarbon [HCFC]-22 or R-22) and HCFC-142b starting January 1, 2010, except for continuing servicing needs of existing equipment [27,29]. Although a complete ban on the production and import of these refrigerants (including for servicing of existing equipment) did not occur until January 1, 2020, the 2010 regulation resulted in a sharp decline in the use of FreonTM and HCFC-142b in home refrigerating units [28].
Detrimental effect of UV-B radiation on growth, photosynthetic pigments, metabolites and ultrastructure of some cyanobacteria and freshwater chlorophyta
Published in International Journal of Radiation Biology, 2021
Mostafa M. El-Sheekh, Eman A. Alwaleed, Aml Ibrahim, Hani Saber
Ultraviet radiation (UV) is emitted from the sun and divided to three wavebands; UV-A has wavelengths between 320–400 nm and is not screened out by the molecular oxygen (O2) and the ozone layer, UV-B has wavelengths between 280–320 nm and is usually reflected by ozone layer, and the most harmful, UV-C is entirely screened out by a combination of molecular oxygen and ozone layer (Yongji et al. 2018). So, the ozone layer is vital to natural life in the globe because of their function in absorption of UV radiation. Additional UV radiation has been entered to the earth biosphere due to depletion in this protective layer. The depletion of ozone layer induced by substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) (the United States Environmental Protection Agency 2008). Increased UV levels resulted in climate change and is portend to alteration in weather and growth patterns on the earth (Bi and Zhang 2007). Atmosphere pollution as a result of rapid industarlization is the main reason for depletion in this protective ozone layer (Björn 2007). The Antractic ozone hole is the most spectacular example for this depletion (Björn 2007). During 1997 to 2000, at northern multitudes, ozone level depletion was around 6% in relation to 1980 levels, which could cause an increase in UV-B up to 12% (McKenzie et al. 2003; Arróniz-Crespo et al. 2008). So, the influence of UV radiation on life form became a critical affair over the past three decades and could also be vital in the years to come.