Ozone is a colourless gas which is found in the stratosphere of our upper atmosphere. The layer of ozone gas is what which protects us from the harmful ultraviolet radiations of the sun. The ozone layer absorbs these harmful radiations and thus prevents these rays from entering the earth?s atmosphere. Ultraviolet radiations are high energy electromagnetic waves emitted by the sun which if enters the earth?s atmosphere can lead to various environmental issues including global warming, and also a number of health related issues for all living organisms.

Solutions to prevent depletion of the ozone layer involve banning the use of chemicals that cause ozone depletion, such as chlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons. National laws and international treaties help accelerate the control of ozone-depleting substances.

Ozone molecules in the atmosphere absorb harmful radiation, especially ultraviolet light called UVB, which causes cataracts and skin cancer and also damages marine life and crops. Although CFCs were used for many years in solvents, refrigerants and foams, researchers in the 1970s found that the chlorine in CFCs breaks down ozone at the rate of over 100,000 ozone molecules destroyed for each chlorine atom released. This causes the ozone to be destroyed faster than it can be naturally recreated.

HCFCs also destroy ozone, but at a lesser rate. Other chemicals that damage the ozone layer include solvents with methyl chloroform, an industrial chemical called carbon tetrachloride, fire extinguishing agents called halons and a soil fumigant called methyl bromide. The only way to heal the ozone layer is to stop using these substances so that the ozone can naturally regenerate.

The United States and other countries banned the use of CFCs in the 1970s. The Vienna Convention of 1985 and the Montreal Protocol of 1987 further consolidated international resolve on the issue. Since these measures, the phase-out rate of ozone-depleting substances has been revised several times to accelerate the recovery of the ozone layer.

Ghana is a signatory to the 1989 Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer, and has subsequently signed all other related amendments namely; the London, Copenhagen, Montreal and Beijing amendments.

In the provisions of the protocol, the country has an obligation to control the consumption of all ozone depleting substances at the national level, and to achieve this, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana is seeking the support of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to rid the country of ozone depleting substances (ODS).

To help the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority perform this task, the EPA with support from the UNDP, presented six refrigerant identifiers to the customs division for distribution and use at selected active customs border posts to enable customs officers to isolate bad refrigerants from good ones.

The refrigerants identifiers would help the Customs to be more effective in the monitoring and control of the kind of refrigerants that entered the country.

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