PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ashley Woodcock
TI  - The president speaks: prevention is best: lessons from protecting the ozone layer
AID  - 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2012-202628
DP  - 2012 Dec 01
TA  - Thorax
PG  - 1028--1031
VI  - 67
IP  - 12
4099  - http://thorax.bmj.com/content/67/12/1028.short
4100  - http://thorax.bmj.com/content/67/12/1028.full
SO  - Thorax2012 Dec 01; 67
AB  - The Montreal Protocol was signed 25 years ago. As a result, the irreversible destruction of the ozone layer was prevented. However, stratospheric ozone will not recover completely until 2060 and the consequent epidemic in skin cancer cases will persist until 2100. Many millions of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have safely switched from chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-powered metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) to either hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) or DPIs. China will be the last country to phase out CFCs by 2016. HFCs are global warming gases which will be controlled in the near future. HFCs in MDIs may be phased out over the next 10–20 years.