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September 16 is the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.  The day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1987, in Montreal, Canada, when the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed. Armenia joined the protocol in 1999.

Armenia has never produced ozone layer depleting substances, instead they have been imported to our country, Liana Ghahramanyan, Coordinator for the National Ozone Unit at the Ministry of Nature Protection, told a news conference on Saturday.

“114 tons of the substance was set for Armenia for the past year. It [the quantity] was not fully utilized by the country, instead Armenia imported only 10% percent of the substance. In other words, Armenia overfulfiled its commitments, which is a pleasant fact for me,” Ms. Ghahramanyan added.

Anna Tsarukyan, Head of the Department of Heliosclerophysics and the Study of the Upper Layers of the Atmosphere at the Hydro-Meteorological Service of Armenia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES), in her turn said that they have conducted a study jointly with the Institute of Oncology.

“The study has revealed a direct link between the reduction of the ozone layer and oncological diseases with a difference of two years,” she said.

She informed that they conduct observations for a few times a day through Amberd station, presenting data on the ultraviolet rays, which are the primary cause for a depletion of the ozone layer. This year the ultraviolet rays reached their highest peak in Armenia, with the MES warning citizens to avoid direct sun exposure from 11am till 17 pm almost on every day.

The experts noted that in 2016, the ozone layer was observed to have recovered significantly compared to 2014.