RI ozone depletion at ‘alarming’ levels

The ozone layer over the country continues to thin, increasing human exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays that cause skin cancer, cataracts and damage to the immune system.

The State Environment Report launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono showed the concentration of ozone in Indonesia’s upper atmosphere was between 230 and 270 Dobson units.

The head of the Environment Ministry’s atmospheric protection unit, Tri Hidayati, said the lowest ozone concentration was recorded mostly above eastern Indonesia with some areas such as North Sulawesi recording only 223 Dobson units.

“The state of the ozone layer above Indonesia has dropped to alarming levels though it can still absorb UV rays,” Tri told The Jakarta Post.

The report measured the decreasing ozone concentration from 2004 to 2009.

It blamed the decrease on ozone — depleting chemicals such as CFCs.

CFCs are still used in some air conditioners, refrigerators and cars despite the enforcement of the Montreal Protocol, which recommends phasing out the use of the substance.

Tri warned that those most vulnerable to skin cancer and cataracts were low- to medium-income people as they could not afford to buy sunglasses or sunscreen to protect against UV rays.

“People working outdoors such as farmers and fishermen are most prone to the continued depletion of the ozone layer,” she said.

Tri said a number of studies showed an increase in the number of Indonesians suffering from
cataracts.

“We are still verifying the relation of ozone layer depletion with the increase in cataracts that is now prevalent in people of a productive age,” she said. Cataracts are more common in older people.

Experts classify ozone concentration of less than 220 Dobson units as a hole in the ozone layer.

The ozone layer protects organisms on earth by absorbing some of the sun’s radiation, thus preventing harmful UV rays from reaching the earth’s surface.

The increase in UV rays has also been linked to lower plant productivity and deterioration in certain forms of marine life.

News of the thinning of the ozone layer in Indonesia comes amid the government’s massive campaign to stop the use of ozone-depleting substances (ODS).

The government has banned the import of five ODS, including CFCs, halon, carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform and methyl bromide since 2007 as part of the country’s commitment to protect the planet under the Montreal Protocol.

Indonesia ratified the Montreal Protocol on ozone protection in 1992, requiring the country to phase out the consumption of ODS.

But the government remained unable to stem the large illegal ODS market in the country.

The Environment Ministry earlier said that at least 300 high-rise buildings in the country — ranging from hotels to private and state buildings — still regularly used CFCs in their air-conditioning systems. The most common CFC refrigerant is popularly known by its DuPont brand name, Freon.