Biological Impacts of Increased Intensities of Solar Ultraviolet Radiation.

摘要

The possible environmental impacts of a future fleet of supersonic transport (SST) aircraft has become a topic of intense national interest. One of the possibilities discussed was that emissions from SST aircraft might reduce the amount of ozone in the upper atmosphere and thereby lead to an increase in solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching the surface of the earth. It is the ultraviolet (UV) portion of sunlight that is most detrimental to plant and animal cells. The small amount of ozone in the earth's stratosphere filters out these harmful wavelengths of ultraviolet light and thus prevents most such radiation from reaching the surface of the earth. Water and especially the oxides of nitrogen emitted as combustion products in the operation of numerous commercial supersonic transport (SST) aircraft may partially destroy the protective shield of stratospheric ozone. This would allow an increased amount of ultraviolet radiation to reach the surface of the earth. The goals of this report are to review some of the known effects of ultraviolet radiation on man and other living organisms;assess,the consequences to man and other living organisms;identify those areas where knowledge is inadequate and where further research is urgently needed.