AIDS LINKED TO OZONE LACK

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, February 15, 1992                   TAG: 9202150194
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A7   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NAIROBI, KENYA                                LENGTH: Short
AIDS LINKED TO OZONE LACK
Depletion of the protective ozone layer encircling Earth could weaken people's resistance to the deadly AIDS virus, according to a U.N. report.
The report from the Nairobi-based U.N. Environment Program suggests increased ultraviolet radiation from ozone depletion could speed up progression to the full-blown AIDS disease in those already infected with HIV-1, the AIDS virus.
Other researchers believe that more ultraviolet rays can reduce the body's defenses against a variety of diseases, not just AIDS. There is no known cure for AIDS, the acronym for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It is spread through sexual intercourse and blood.
The 45-page U.N. report, obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, is based on what it calls a conservative estimate of 5 percent to 10 percent ozone depletion by the year 2000. It also predicts:
Up to 1.75 million additional eye cataracts annually worldwide and up to 150,000 more cases of cataract-induced blindness for every 1 percent of ozone loss.
More than 300,000 additional skin cancers cases per year worldwide.
Ozone is a pale blue gas found nine to 31 miles above Earth. It absorbs harmful rays from the sun and stops heat from escaping from the planet.
"It is becoming clear that activation of HIV-1 by UV radiation is a cause for concern," said the report.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB