For the first time in our country, the current state of the ozone problem, which is attributed to the global problems of mankind, is described in sufficient detail and systematically. Described a new and not yet completely understandable phenomenon of the ozone "hole" in the stratosphere of the Antarctic in the spring, a significant decrease in the ozone content in the spring of 1983-87 in the middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere and in the Arctic. Explanations of the possible causes of these phenomena are based on the main factors described in the book that form the Earth's ozone, the possible impact of its changes on humans and the biosphere. The methods and main results of measurements of ozone and ozone-active impurities in different parts of the atmosphere are highlighted, estimates of their expected changes in the future are given under different scenarios of development of anthropogenic influence on the atmosphere. For a wide range of specialists in Earth sciences, environmental protection, students and graduate students of relevant specialties.