Cited by 66Atmospheric Ozone and ClimateSkin Protection and AgingPlant responses to elevated CO2

Effects of ozone depletion and UV‐B radiation on humans and the environment

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Solomon, Keith R.·2008·Atmosphere-Ocean

Abstract

There are important effects of changes in the intensity of solar UV ‐radiation resulting from stratospheric ozone depletion, particularly UV‐B radiation, on all organisms on the planet. Biological and ecological responses to increases in UV‐B radiation may be deleterious and result in harm to humans, particularly in terms of the incidence of cataracts of the eye and cancers of the skin, such as malignant melanoma. UV‐B radiation is important in the production of vitamin D which has beneficial effects on human health, not only in terms of calcium balance and bone development but it also appears to have a protective effect in several other human diseases. In individual organisms in the environment, and ecosystem processes, UV‐B radiation may have adverse effects or these may be compensated for in individual species or groups of species, resulting in little overall harm. These compensation mechanisms may have implications for other herbivores and predators that depend on the affected organism for food or habitat. When coupled with changes in the distribution and biology of organisms that will result from climate change, the resulting interactions may cause significant ecological changes that have implications for the sustainability of natural populations as well as human activities that depend on ecosystem services that are provided by the affected organisms. This has implications for human activities such as fisheries, agriculture, and forestry that are economically important in Canada and many other countries. In addition to these direct effects on humans and the ecosystem, increases in UV‐B radiation may have effects on nutrient and material cycling in terrestrial systems and in fresh and salt surface waters. Many of these processes involve dissolved organic matter (DOM) and coloured DOM (CDOM) and their production in terrestrial systems and inputs to surface waters where they have protective effects on plants and animals. Atmospheric chemistry has also been affected by increased UV‐B radiation; some of the effects will result in increased biological availability of toxic metals such as mercury. However, the resultant product of the breakdown of the ‘ozone‐friendly’ hydrochloro‐fluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)—trifluoroacetic acid—presents a negligible risk to humans and the environment. Increased UV‐B radiation has implications for a number of human‐made materials such as plastics used in construction and outdoor materials. The effects of UV‐B radiation can be counteracted by protective fillers but there may be interactions with increased environmental temperatures that affect the efficiency of these protectants. Overall, the effects of UV‐B radiation on organisms, the environment, and materials are expected to decrease as stratospheric ozone recovers; however, the potential effect of climate change on these endpoints is uncertain and it is possible that increases in temperature may combine in additive, synergistic, or antagonistic ways with the effects of UV‐B radiation that are currently unpredictable.

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Crossref · 10.3137/ao.460109

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  • UVR is a highly effective carcinogenic exogenous agent that interacts with DNA, alters genome integrity, and may affect normal life processes from prokaryotes to mammals.

    “which is one of the most effective and carcinogenic exogenous agents that can interact with DNA and alter the genome integrity and may affect the normal life processes of all organisms ranging from prokaryotes to mammals [2–10].”

    From Molecular Mechanisms of Ultraviolet Radiation‐Induced DNA Damage and Repair (2010) · cites this paper as [8]

    The Human health section (page unavailable) links solar UV exposure to skin cancer, while the Aquatic ecosystems section reports UV-associated DNA damage and effects on bacterioplankton. The paper does not establish that UVR is among the most effective carcinogenic agents or that it affects the normal life processes of all organisms from prokaryotes to mammals. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  1. SINHA, R. P. and D.-P. HÄDER. 2004. Ultraviolet screening compounds in algae: role in evolution. In: S. J. Britto (Ed.), Molecular Systematics. The Rapinat Herbarium & Centre for Molecular Systematics, Tiruchirappalli, India. pp. 91-117.

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Authors
Solomon, K. R.
Affiliations
University of Guelph (CA)
Corresponding author
Solomon, Keith R.
Venue
Atmosphere-Ocean
Published
2008-01
Volume
46
Issue
1
Pages
185-202
ISSN
  • 0705-5900 (ISSN-L)
  • 1480-9214
OpenAlex
W2084333099
Cited by
66
References
208
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 10 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
FWCI
1.69
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
ATMOSPHERE-OCEAN (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Atmospheric Ozone and Climate
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Skin Protection and Aging
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Plant responses to elevated CO2
Keywords
stratospheric ozone depletion, UV-B radiation, human health effects, cataract, skin cancer, melanoma, vitamin D, ecosystem impacts, trophic interactions, climate change, ecosystem services, nutrient cycling, dissolved organic matter, colored dissolved organic matter, mercury bioavailability, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, trifluoroacetic acid, ozone recovery, forestry

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