An official website of the United States government.

This is not the current EPA website. To navigate to the current EPA website, please go to www.epa.gov. This website is historical material reflecting the EPA website as it existed on January 19, 2021. This website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work. More information »

Ozone Layer Protection Milestones of the Clean Air Act

Strat City, USA

Click on items in Strat City, USA to explore how ozone layer protection affects many aspects of everyday life.

Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a threat to human health. It can cause skin damage, eye damage, and even suppress the immune system. UV radiation overexposure also interferes with environmental cycles, affecting organisms, such as plants and phytoplankton, that move nutrients and energy through the biosphere.

In the 1970s, scientists discovered that Earth’s primary protection from solar UV radiation, the stratospheric ozone layer, was thinning. The cause was the emissions of chemicals that contained chlorine and bromine, which when broken down can destroy ozone molecules. The most common of these ozone-depleting substances (ODS) is a class of chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)...

In 1987, the United States signed the Montreal Protocol, the international treaty that protects and restores the ozone layer by phasing out ODS.

In 1990, the Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments, including Title VI, Stratospheric Ozone Protection, were signed into law. Title VI directs the EPA to phase out ODS and includes complementary measures to reduce emissions and smooth the transition to alternative chemicals and processes that pose lower risk to human health and the environment

Today, the United States has almost eliminated production and import of all ODS and will successfully complete the phaseout by 2030.

The ozone layer is expected to recover by mid-century. By restoring the ozone layer, we reduce incidences of skin cancer and cataracts.

Click on items in Strat City, USA to explore how ozone layer protection affects many aspects of everyday life.

 A fictional showing everyday scenarios that impact the ozone layer
 
offices Pearlofficesgrocery Pearlgrocery --> dinerhospital PearlhospitalUN building PearlUN buildingcity hall Pearlcity hall --> HandshakeContainer Ship PearlCargo shipMilitary Pearlmilitary baseHouse with Pool PearlHouse with PoolHouse PearlHouseCar PearlCarOld Refrigerator PearlOld RefrigeratorWarehouse PearlWarehouseSchool PearlSchoolPlayground Pearlplayground --> Trainairport Pearlairportauto service Pearlauto-servicedestruction-plant Pearldestruction-plant --> Farmchemical-plant Pearlchemical-plantfishing-shipyard Pearlfishing-shipyardweather-balloon Pearlweather-balloonipad-lady Pearlipad-lady-