Ozone Hole Grows To Record Size

Sat., Nov. 2, 1996

Compiled From Wire Services

The ozone hole over Antarctica has widened to record size this season - nearly as large as the combined area of the United States and Canada - and may soon set a duration record as well.

The hole in the atmospheric ozone layer has been at 6.9 million square miles for 50 days, the U.N. weather agency said Friday. In late September and early October, the hole peaked at 7.7 million square miles.

“If the current size is maintained until the middle of next week, this will be another record-setting season,” said Dr. Rumen Bojkov, ozone advisor to the World Meteorological Organization.

Ozone, a gas in the stratosphere, protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Its depletion, thought to be caused by man-made chemicals used in aerosols and refrigeration, is believed to expose humans and animals to greater risks of skin cancer and cataracts.

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Ozone Hole Grows To Record Size

Jesse Tinsley

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