THE race to save the depleting ozone layer may yet be won. Scientists belonging to the Yale University in New Haven, us, announced recently that they have discovered a new method by which chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which eat into the ozone layer can be broken down into harmless derivatives.

A particular chemical found in Rhubarb leaves has been found to be effective in aiding the breakdown of freon and other CFCs by the team of Robert H Crabtree and Juan Burcleniuc. Said Crabtree, "We are very happy that it (the new process) might make a contribution to the quality of life in the next century."

The CFCs which have been banned from production are steadily stockpiling in many countries. In the us alone, as much as 45 million kg of freon may be stockpiled. Mario Molina of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of the winners of the Nobel prize last year, for demonstrating that CFCs destroy ozone, while hailing the process said that it could have only limited applicability as most of the CFCs are released into the air and retrieving them is a cause for concern.