We believed that efforts to protect against solar ultraviolet radiation and restore its layer ozone had a positive outcome due to the successful implementation of the Montreal Protocol. Yet climate change creates new uncertainties and oblige to remain vigilant and review public health and ecosystem protection measures. In any case, in view of the summer, when there is a greater exposure of people to ultraviolet B radiation, experts emphasize the need to take protective measures.

This conclusion comes from a study titled “Variability in Effective Solar UVB Radiation Doses for Human Health from the 1980s to the End of the 21st Century,” which was published in the prestigious journal Physiological Reviews of the American Physiological Society. The review study was carried out by a group of Greek researchers.

“Solar ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation has played a key role in the evolution of life on Earth.. Possible changes in its levels could affect human health and ecosystem functionality,” Christos Zerefos, general secretary of the Academy of Athens and head of the Academy’s Research Center for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology, who is the main author of the study, told K. Research Article. Mr. Zerefos has dealt with the issue of ultraviolet radiation internationally for decades, having served as president of the International Ozone Commission for a number of years.

Ozone, found in the stratosphere around our planet, has been scientifically proven to act as a protective layer that keeps the sun’s harmful UV-B radiation at bay. Montreal Protocol, an international treaty signed in 1987 took steps to protect the ozone layer by eliminating the use of CFCs (in appliances such as refrigerators). These substances deplete the ozone layer and therefore increase the harmful ultraviolet B radiation from the sun that reaches the earth, leading to an increase in eye diseases and skin cancer. The reason for the mobilization and consent of the states in 1987 was the creation of an “ozone hole”, i.e. thinning of the protective layer to a dangerous degree, mainly over the Earth’s poles.

“The Montreal Protocol is one of the few that have been in place for decades. It is considered the most successful international treaty and has made a major contribution to limiting the concentration of chlorofluorocarbons. The ozone layer is recovering, of course, with fluctuations, especially at the poles.. By some estimates, the Protocol has prevented two million additional cases of melanoma and other skin cancers worldwide each year. And where we thought we had solved the problem, we saw that it became more complicated in combination with the evolving climate change,” Mr. Zerefos explains to “K”.

In this publication, the research team presents current knowledge on the effects of solar ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation on human health, explains the physical mechanisms that control levels of UV-B reaching the Earth’s surface, presents current trends, and predicts the future evolution of solar UV-B. DNA damaging radiation. As noted in the publication, ongoing emissions of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) are changing the climate and changing the recovery of the ozone layer, which is expected due to the reduction of CFCs. Climate change affects clouds, ground aerosols, and the reflectivity of the Earth’s surface due to the melting of ice caps at high latitudes.. The combination of changes in ozone, aerosols, clouds and reflectivity will determine future levels of solar UV-B radiation at the Earth’s surface.

The review provides compelling evidence that, despite the success of the Montreal Protocol, the future evolution of solar UV-B levels at the Earth’s surface remains uncertain due to a changing climate.

For example, reduced cloudiness in the northern mid-latitudes due to climate change will allow more UV-B to reach the Earth’s surface.. In addition, a 30–50% decrease (spring and autumn) in monthly levels of biologically weighted doses of UV-B at northern high latitudes is expected due to combined changes in surface reflectance and atmospheric turbidity.

“These changes are causing uncertainty and we cannot be complacent. Research on the UV-B course will continue as the science progresses,” emphasizes Mr. Zerefos, who is also EKPA Professor Emeritus and AUTH Professor Emeritus. At the same time, however, all precautions must be maintained in the coming decades, both collectively and individually. I recommend, for example, dermatologists and ophthalmologists to adhere to recommendations for protection and taking into account the summer season.“.

The research team that co-authored the publication consists of Mr. Zerefos, Level 3 Research Fellow, Ilias Fundoulakis, Center for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology, Academy of Athens, Associate Professor, Department of Geology and Geoenvironment. Konstantinos Eleftheratos and Andreas Kazantzidis, President of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Patras.