Ozoned out.

• Author: Rohter, Larry
• Position: International

In Punta Arenas, Chile, the ozone layer is so skimpy at times that the government warns residents--through "solar stoplight" alerts--not to go outside. The ozone layer is a thin covering of gas in the stratosphere that absorbs most of the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Scientists in the mid-1980s detected a hole in the ozone over Antarctica, attributed mostly to man-made pollution. The hole has since grown and now covers an area larger than North America...