International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer falls tomorrow:

Saving sky: saving yourself!

The Antarctic ozone hole is still being widened. The average area of the ozone hole was at 10.6 million square miles in 2006. The blue and purple colors are where there is the least ozone, and the greens, yellows, and reds are where there is more ozone. Photo courtesy; NASA

If you ask European tourists visiting this country reasons for their visits, most of them would say that it is the sun and the beaches. For the south Asians, definitely the tropical sun is a blessing but for some prolonging droughts. Farmers, workers and school children tend to spend more time outside exposed to the sun.

But according to the World Health Organization (WHO) prolonged exposure to sunlight would lead to skin cancers and cataracts. The thinning of the Ozone layer some 17 km above the ground has now made it possible to let more ultra violet (UV) rays produced by the sun to reach the earth.

A WHO report states that around 66 000 deaths occur annually from melanoma and other skin cancers while more than two million new cases of non-malignant melanomas or skin diseases and more than 130 000 new melanoma skin cancer cases are reported worldwide annually.

The people around world especially those who live in colder countries naturally tend to seek more and more sun and as there is an increased risk of developing health complications from over-exposure to UV radiation. The WHO considers it as a substantial health concern.

The WHO warns that the effects of the exposure often do not appear quickly but until many years later and as a result people are often unaware of the health risks. The WHO also warns that the over-exposure to the sun poses a risk to people of all colours, not only for the fair-skinned.

Commenting to a newspaper on the health concerns to the Sri Lankans country’s National Ozone Unit Director W.L. Sumathipala said that the population and the biodiversity in Sri Lanka have adapted in ways like having a dark skin colour to tackle the harmful UV rays. Sumathipala said that the ozone layer above Sri Lanka too thinning; however said that it has both negative aspects.

He pointed out that Sri Lanka with its proximity to the equator gets direct sunlight throughout the year which could be harmful. However, Sri Lanka does not experience changes in the seasons, so that the inhabitants could have easily adapted to the prevailing climatic condition.

Sumapthipala also emphasized the need to phase out the two chemicals and one is Methyl Bromde which is used in the garment industry as a bleaching agent. Another chemical used in firefighting is also harmful to the ozone layer, he said. He said that although recent scientific findings have shown that the ozone layer is recovering, the world must be vigilant.

UNEP also states that the phase-out of Methyl Bromide, combating the illegal trade in CFCs and full implementation of the Montreal Protocol in developing countries are issues that need to be tackled. UNEP also stressed the need to reduce over-exposure of children and adolescents to the sun, in order to substantially reduce the risk of contracting skin cancers, cataracts and other conditions which might only appear much later in life.

UNEP says that mostly persons below the age of 18 tend to expose to the sunlight and persons of these age groups should be educated about the dangers of UV exposure.

According to the WHO though most of the known melanomas occur in the industrialized world, it does not imply that the fair-skinned populations are affected by UV radiation.

The WHO is of the view that if enough reporting mechanisms are in place, it would reveal more melanoma cases originating in developing countries as well. It is also pointed out that cataract susceptibility by no means is connected to the colour of the skin, and people living close to the equator are most likely to be affected.However, the WHO advises that a moderate degree of UV exposure is necessary for the production of Vitamin D which is essential for bone health. It also points out that low Vitamin D levels could lead to other chronic diseases. Thus, it is clear that striking a balance in moderate exposure to the sun is vital.