Stratospheric Ozone Depletion and Its Relationship to Skin Cancer

Several articles have appeared in the literature regarding the impact of stratospheric ozone depletion on the prevalence of skin cancer due to increasing ultraviolet radiation. While it has been shown that UVB radiation is related to carcinogenesis of both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer, it has not definitively been shown that stratospheric ozone depletion is translating into increased penetrating ultraviolet radiation. Estimates of increasing skin cancer in the future are dependent on calculations of UVB increases drawn from data on ozone depletion. The present article describes the history of stratospheric ozone depletion, how it may affect UVB penetration and skin cancer rates, and what is currently being done to prevent man's further detrimental effects on our atmosphere.