Scientists find ozone depletion began decades before discovery of ozone hole

MIT researchers have discovered that ozone depletion in Earth's atmosphere began decades earlier than scientists detected the ozone hole. Using modern analytical tools, they traced the cause to the nineteen thirties, when carbon tetrachloride — a chemical used for dry-cleaning and degreasing — started harming the ozone layer. The finding highlights an uncomfortable truth: environmental damage can advance silently, long before we detect it.

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