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Argentina: Health Authorities Say Little As Ozone Hole Grows

Posted on: Thursday, 6 October 2005, 18:00 CDT

By Marcela Valente for Tierramrica *

BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 5, 2005 (IPS/GIN) -- Argentina's health authorities have done little to warn citizens of the danger of being exposed to the sun's harmful rays despite its proximity the thinning ozone layer.

The "ozone hole" over Antarctica and extending to the extreme southern regions of Latin America reached a new record last month.

According to the Argentina Antarctic Institute, which measures the concentration of ozone gas in the stratosphere, the thinning of this barrier that protects living organisms on Earth from ultraviolet rays reached 28 million square kilometers in September - - 8 percent larger than the maximum reached in September 2004.

The density of the ozone layer, which is considered deficient when it is less than 220 Dobson units, fell to 87 in mid-September. The lowest recording in 2004 was 95 units.

As a result of climatic factors, the thinning of the ozone layer over the South Pole is especially manifest during the Southern Hemisphere springtime, which begins in September.

The absence of the protective layer leaves terrestrial and marine life vulnerable to the most harmful solar radiation, which in humans can cause skin and eye diseases and damage the immune system.

The populations of southern Argentina and Chile are the most exposed in Latin America because of their proximity to the "hole."

But Argentina's Ministry of Health does not appear to have taken any steps to prevent problems. Tierramerica tried unsuccessfully and through various channels to obtain informational materials about the dangers of exposure to the sun, which the ministry assures that it possesses.

Tatiana Petcheneschsky, a spokeswoman for the ministry's directorate for health promotion and protection, apologized several times for the difficulty in accessing that material.

Pediatrician Maria Vaccaro, delegate from the Argentine Pediatric Society in the southern province of Tierra del Fuego, said in a conversation with Tierramerica that in her region there are only radio announcements to remind the population to protect themselves from the sun this time of year.

"Here in the spring the weather is still cold, and people are less exposed. But children are always the most vulnerable because they go outside to play, and because they were born in a world with an ozone hole, which didn't exist during the childhood of those of us who are now adults," said Vaccaro.

A television alert is slated for broadcast in January, the warmest summer month, but by then the ozone hole will have already begun to shrink.

In a poll conducted in Ushuaia, capital of Tierra del Fuego, 81.6 percent of respondents said they were aware of the phenomenon of the ozone hole. But when asked if they knew when the thinning of the ozone layer occurs, only 15 percent answered "in the spring."

The same study found that only 34 percent of the city's residents were aware of sunscreen lotions of different protective factors, recommended for application to skin exposed to the sun.

Among the skin ailments caused by too much exposure to the sun are erythema -- inflammation and reddening of the skin -- premature aging and cancer. Predisposition to these diseases is greater among people with lighter-colored hair, skin and eyes.

And exposure to the sun's dangerous rays can cause cataracts in the eyes.

In this country, bronzed skin continues to be seen as "a sign of good health, aesthetic image and high social status," the president of the Argentina Association of Environmental Medicine, Alberto Tolcachier, said in a Tierramerica interview.

This mistaken perception is due in part to the fact that the correlation between greater exposure to the sun and its most serious effects is not immediately evident, as it is usually many years before cataracts or skin cancer appear, said Tolcachier.

Furthermore, the composition of the population living in areas of Argentina most vulnerable to UV exposure is constantly changing, so few inhabitants are exposed to the radiation throughout their entire lives.

The greatest risk is at the Antarctic research bases and in Tierra del Fuego. In Antarctica, the population -- mostly military personnel and scientists -- is always in rotation, and in Tierra del Fuego, only 35 percent of the inhabitants were born there.

Despite these attenuating factors, Tolcachier warns that the ozone hole "constitutes a serious public health problem. Given that exposure during the first five years of life produces the most damage, the risk is greatest among children."

The increased area of thinning of the ozone layer is occurring even though the Montreal Protocol, ratified by more than 180 countries, has been in effect for 16 years. The treaty establishes timelines for eliminating the production and use of ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons and methyl bromide.

Although countries have made great strides in replacing these harmful products, they remain in the atmosphere for many years and continue to break down the three-oxygen ozone molecules high above the Earth.

(* Marcela Valente is an IPS correspondent. Originally published Oct. 1 by Latin American newspapers that are part of the Tierramerica network. Tierramerica is a specialized news service produced by IPS with the backing of the United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Environment Program.)

Source: Global Information Network

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