According to estimates, up to half of all Americans who live to age 65 will develop skin cancer. Experts agree that skin cancer occurs when skin cells are damaged by external factors. By far the greatest culprit is exposure to ultraviolet radiation. This cellular damage can develop into cancer. Artificial sources of ultraviolet radiation, like tanning beds, have the same effect.
Skin cancer is on the rise across the world.
Scientists believe that the thinning of the ozone layer is partly to blame for this increase. The ozone layer is a layer of specially formed oxygen molecules in the atmosphere. It partly shields the earth from the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet radiation. Many substances produced and used around the earth are depleting this ozone and causing the ozone layer to become thinner. As a result, more of the sun's radiation is making it to earth.