Ozone layer healing, limiting UV rays

The Earth’s ozone layer—once thinning due to pollution—is healing and subsequently diminishing human exposure to carcinogenic ultraviolet (UV) rays, a new study finds.

Research published in the scientific journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics found that the ozone layer, which serves as a protective barrier against UV rays, has been healing since the United Nations banned the manufacturing and use of refrigerators and aerosol spray cans emitting chlorofluorocarbons under the Montreal Protocol in 1987, according to Spiegel Online. The data was collected from 12 stations in Europe, Canada and Japan from 1990 to 2011 by measuring the intensity of solar waves at different altitudes.

The researchers suggested the ozone layer has been healing since 1995, but has made the most significant gains—allowing 2 to 4 percent fewer UV rays to reach the ground—since 2007.