Medical consequences of stratospheric ozone depletion.

The absorption of ultraviolet (UV) light by stratospheric ozone is crucial to the provision of an environment suitable for terrestrial life. Ultraviolet radiation is the part of the solar spectrum with wavelengths between 240 and 400 nm. Photons at wavelengths below about 320 nm can produce photochemical damage to the cells of living organisms. Data suggesting a causative role for UV exposure in squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, cataract formation, and (as yet) poorly defined immune suppression comes from epidemiologic studies and, in some cases, clinical observation and experimental work. The author concentrates on the direct health effects of UV radiation, although the factors that lead to stratospheric ozone depletion also exert other powerful influences on the biosphere that will have less predictable direct and indirect effects on human health.