The Montreal Protocol (1987) is an international treaty directly relevant to environmental health because it mandates the phase-out of substances responsible for which problem?

• A Acid rain from sulphur dioxide emissions
• B Mercury contamination of aquatic food chains
• C Global warming due to methane emissions
• D Depletion of stratospheric ozone layer ✓

Explanation

The Montreal Protocol targets ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons and halons, which release chlorine and bromine radicals that destroy stratospheric ozone. Stratospheric ozone filters ultraviolet D radiation, so its depletion increases skin cancers, cataracts and immune suppression. Acid rain is addressed by sulphur emission controls, mercury by the Minamata Convention, and greenhouse gases by the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement, making those distractors treaty mismatches.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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