What are the effects of Ozone Layer Depletion?

The depletion of ozone layer in the stratosphere is likely to have very serious effects. Ozone layer protects us from the harmful Ultraviolet (UV) radiations. Depletion of ozone layer can expose us to UV radiations that in turn lead to skin cancer, cataracts and weakened immune system in humans. UV radiations have the ability to cause loss of pigmentation in skin cells and harmful changes in the deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA of skin cells. These ultimately lead to skin cancers and related cancer diseases such as malignant melanoma. UV rays can also damage the proteins of cornea and retina cells in the eye and cause blindness and cataracts. UV radiations also inhibit the photosynthetic activity and cause damage to natural vegetation and agricultural productivity. Besides these, increased exposure to UV radiations can also harm ecosystem structure and function of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by disturbing food chain, altering biochemical pathways and disrupting nutrient and energy flow between the different components of ecosystem.