Ozone Hits Record Low

Ozone levels plummeted to record lows over Britain and Scandinavia this winter, exposing inhabitants to some of the worst levels of ultraviolet radiation recorded in densely populated areas, the World Meteorological Organization said Tuesday.

Ozone depletion over that region, caused in large part by manmade chemicals released into the atmosphere, also is related to the seasons and has been made worse by unusually cold temperatures.

The period of extremely low ozone levels was expected to pass later this month.

Regional ozone levels during January, February and the early part of March averaged about 30 percent below the average levels recorded between 1957 and 1978, before manmade chemicals started destroying the ozone, according to measurements published by the U.N. agency.