Senate Ratifies Pact on Ozone
The Senate voted unanimously today to ratify an international treaty calling for a freeze and eventually a reduction in the use of chemicals that scientists say are destroying the ozone layer protecting Earth against cancer-causing radiation.
The 83-0 vote came after only two minutes of debate. The Montreal Protocol, already signed by 31 nations, calls first for a freeze on the production of chlorofluorocarbons, and then for a 20% reduction by 1994 and an additional 30% by 1999. The chemicals are widely used in refrigeration, air conditioners, plastic foams and cleaning solvents. Their use in aerosol sprays was banned in the United States in 1978.
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