Day 011 - 12 Jul 94 - Page 50
1 basically, a compound which is forming part of the
Montreol Protocol, it should not be taken by the governing
2 bodies who make regulations as a sensible thing to do, to
leave the chemicals in that form, and that they should be
3 phased out as soon as was practical.
4 So, it is a warning note that although these things were
being used, that one should not, just because they are not
5 currently classed as subject to the Montreal Protocol, be
things that keep being used for a long time to come.
6
Q. So, in the short term they could cause more damage to the
7 ozone layer and in the short term, therefore, cause or,
you know, be connected to more skin cancer?
8 A. One when says "more damage" one has to say more damage
than what? More damage than was originally estimated on
9 part of the ozone depleting potential scheme. In terms of
the amount of CFC, HCFCs that we are talking about,
10 currently being used by plastic, the plastic production
related to the particular date in hand, the amount, in my
11 view, would be actually regarded as negligible.
12 The other thing is that the methods of ozone destruction
and the methods of where the ozone hole gets to are, in
13 fact, still being investigated. Although you may get an
enormous ozone hole at the South Pole, the levels of ozone
14 depletion which actually occur where people happened to be
are still comparatively small.
15
Q. There are people living in the polar regions or near
16 there, are there not?
A. If you actually look at the region of Scotland where
17 I live where, in fact, you can measure chlorine compounds
over head, in fact, the amount of water vapour in the
18 atmosphere during most of the air is such that the ultra
violet can never actually penetrate through it to cause
19 anybody to get sunburn at all.
20 Q. I believe though that it is something of a severe problem
in New Zealand, for example?
21 A. It has been suggested that in the southern hemisphere
there have been slight changes to the ozone layer and that
22 this has caused some problems. However, if you look at
Richard Wane's book, he actually puts this in perspective
23 and points out that this is no more than you would
actually get were you to take your summer holidays in
24 Spain which is further south, and choose to uncover
yourself on the beach in the absence of sun tan lotion.
25
In other words, human beings have a method of actually
26 protecting against excessive of ultraviolet. This is
actually not very much more than is caused by, in fact,
27 moving where you live in latitude.
28 Q. Right. But there is a greater risk now to people living
in New Zealand than there was, I do not know, 60, 70 years
29 ago?
A. Yes and this is quite well documented in the SORG
30 report.
