'Healing' Detected In Antarctic Ozone Hole, Says Study (bbc.com)

kheldan quotes a report from BBC: Researchers say they have found the first clear evidence that the thinning in the ozone layer above Antarctica is starting to heal. The scientists said that in September 2015 the hole was around 4 million sq km smaller than it was in the year 2000 -- an area roughly the size of India. The gains have been credited to the long term phasing out of ozone-destroying chemicals. [The study also sheds new light on the role of volcanoes in making the problem worse.] The ozone-destroying chemicals, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), have been shown to be declining in their influence, causing the ozone layer to grow once more. "Even though we phased out the production of CFCs in all countries including India and China around the year 2000, there's still a lot of chlorine left in the atmosphere," Prof Solomon told the BBC World Service Science in Action program. "It has a lifetime of about 50-100 years, so it is starting to slowly decay and the ozone will slowly recover." Scientists also believe that volcanic sulphur can form tiny particles that act as seeds to Polar Stratospheric Clouds, where chlorine chemistry occurs that destroys the ozone.

Comments

Re:Wasn't this already confirmed?

[Anonymous Coward]

3 years ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago, and 12 years ago:

https://science.slashdot.org/story/13/02/10/1930214/over-the-antarctic-the-smallest-ozone-hole-in-a-decade
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/05/20/2038228/signs-of-ozone-layer-recovery-detected
https://slashdot.org/story/06/10/21/0548245/nasa-announces-record-ozone-hole
https://slashdot.org/story/06/05/27/0654216/ozone-layer-improving-faster-than-expected
https://science.slashdot.org/story/04/10/02/1346252/ozone-hole-getting-smaller

Re:All hot air?

[Talderas]

Evidence about this is best found by looking at the fiasco that was inhaler medication for asthma patients. Albuterol inhalers had long been off patent and were produced by generics companies. With the ban the big pharma companies created a new medication with a different propellant which was granted a patent. That triggered the FDA to revoke the exception for CFC inhalers which forced every asthmatic and COPD sufferer to utilize the more expensive brand name medication rather than cheaper generics which we no longer able to be produced and sold due to the revocation of the exception.

For those that are not aware of what it's like to be asthmatic or suffer from COPD. These medications primary purpose is to reduce the inflammation that occurs in the lungs. This inflammation reduces the airflow into and out of the lungs making it more difficult to breath. The inflammation can occur in degrees from minor discomfort where you're aware of the reduced airflow to severe states where you're barely getting enough airflow to remain conscious. Asthma can and will negatively impact an individual's ability to be active in environments where the irritants that cause inflammation are located. These inhalers are a tremendous boon for patients that allows them to have a more normal lifestyle.

What elimination of the exception did was raise the cost, anywhere from a 25-100% increase, of patients in order to have a normal lifestyle or causes them to reduce their usage of inhalers limiting their ability to have a normal lifestyle. Were these costs worth it for a product that contributed no more than 0.1% of CFC usage?