acid rain

Acid rain is the process by which acids with a pH normally below 5.6 are removed from the atmosphere in rain, snow, sleet or hail.

 

CAUSES:

 

Acid rain mainly results from the transformation of sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO₂) into wet pollutants like sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄), ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) and nitric acid (HNO₃). The transformation of SO₂ and NOx to acidic particles and vapors happens when these pollutants are moved throughout the atmosphere over extremely long distances.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

	"Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is released by burning coal, oil, and natural gas. If you inhale carbon dioxide, then since it is toxic, it can cause you to have to breathe more than usual, unconsciousness, and other serious health problems.
	Carbon monoxide: Carbon monoxide is released by burning gasoline, oil, and wood. When carbon monoxide enters your body, it goes into the bloodstream. When this happens, it will slow down the delivery of oxygen to the rest of the body, causing dizziness, headaches, and fatigue.
	Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): CFCs are the chemicals that are used in industry, refrigeration, air conditioning systems, and consumer products. Whenever CFCs are released into the air, they reduce the stratospheric ozone layer. The stratospheric ozone layer protects Earth's surface from the harmful rays of the sun.
	Hazardous air pollutants (HAPS): HAPS are released into the air by sources such as chemical plants, dry cleaners, printing plants, and motor vehicles (cars, trucks, buses, and planes). HAPS can cause serious health problems like cancer, birth defects, nervous system problems, and deaths that are all due to people accidentally letting them go into the air.
	Lead: Lead is released by house and car paint as well as the manufacturing of lead batteries, fishing lures, certain parts of bullets, some ceramic ware, water pipes, and fixtures. In young children, lead can cause nervous system damage and learning problems.
	Nitrogen oxides: Nitrogen Oxides are released into the air by burning fuels such as gasoline and coal. When nitrogen oxides combine with VOCs, they can cause breathing difficulty in people who have asthma, coughs in children, and general illness in your respiratory system.
	Ozone: Ozone is released by motor vehicles, industries, burning coal, gasoline, and other fossil fuels, and in the chemicals that are in hairspray and paints. When ozone is close to the ground (ground level ozone) it can cause chest pain, irritated respiratory tract, or persistent cough, can make you unable to take deep breaths, and can make you more likely to get lung infections.
	Particulate matter (PM): PM, little particles of pollution, is released by cars, trucks, and buses that are burning diesel fuel, fertilizers, pesticides, road construction, steel making, mining, and turning on fire places and wood stoves. When PMs mix with air particles and get breathed in by something, they get stuck in the lung tissue. There they can cause increased respiratory disease and lung damage.
	Sulfur dioxides: Sulfur dioxides are released by burning coal, paper production, and melting metal. Sulfur dioxide can harm vegetation, harm metals, and cause lung problems, which include breathing problems and permanent lung damage.
	Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): VOCs are released into the air by burning gasoline, wood, coal, or natural gas, solvents, paints, glues, and other products that are used at work or at home." http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/acid_rain.htm

 

 

Most of the pollutants are from automobiles. Automobiles release harmful smoke into the air. Coal, oil, and gasoline are some of the causes of the pollutants as well.

 

Air Pollutant	% that mobile sources contribute to acid rain	% that other sources contribute to acid rain
Volatile organic compound	37%	63%
Nitrogen oxide	49%	51%
Carbon monoxide	81%	19%
Particulate matter	27%	73%

This table shows that the main air pollutant that mobile sources contribute is carbon monoxide. Of the carbon monoxide contributors to acid rain, 81% of them come from these sources. The other largest source is the little particles of pollution that are being released into the atmosphere by cars, trucks, and buses that are burning diesel fuel. The following are other contributors by these little particles: fertilizers, pesticides, road construction, steel making, mining, and turning on fire places and wood stoves. 73% of the non-mobile sources that add to acid rain are caused by the release of these tiny particles (particulate matter). Carbon monoxide and particulate matter are the number-one sources of the air pollution, by reducing this, acid rain will not be as prevalent.

 

This is the pH scale. Acid rain is rain that measures between 0 and 5 pH.

 

 

 

 

The effect of acid rain on trees and forests ranges from small to very large, depending on the region and the acidity of the rain. Acid rain, acid fog, and acid vapor damage the surfaces of leaves and needles, diminish a tree's ability to endure cold, and hinder plant germination and reproduction. So, tree life and reproduction are reduced. Acid rain also reduces the supply of essential nutrients, such as calcium and magnesium, from soils. Without these nutrients, trees can suffer greatly, as well as larger masses of them—forests. Trees soak up the aluminum in the soil that the acid rain produces, and this can make trees grow slower, or stop growing altogether. The acid rain weakens the trees, so they may not be able to withstand things like disease, pests, and cold weather.

 

 

 

The more carbon gasses, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and other chemicals we release into the atmosphere, the more get soaked up into clouds and rained back down on our environment. We can help. If we reduce the amount of fuel combustion, electrical utilities and dirty industrial sources, we can reduce the ferocity of the acid rain in our environment. People can help stop acid rain by not polluting the air.

 

 

Acid rain also has an effect on water-life. Water animals need a good supply of oxygen in the water so they can breathe. When it rains acidic waters, the water is poisoned with our fossil fuels and the fish can die. Most sea life can't live in water that is under 6 pH. If the acid rain problem increases, our beautiful sea life will all eventually be gone.

 

 

 

Acid rain effects even our health. Breathing and lung problems in people (especially those with asthma) and have been linked to acid air pollution. Everything that we eat, drink, and breathe has at one time come in contact with some sort of acid deposit. These health problems are happening more and more each year in the U.S. and Canada due to acid rain: in 2004 approximately

	550 premature deaths
	1,520 emergency room visits
	210,070 asthma symptom days

Our health could be bettered tremendously without the pollutants in our environment.

 

 

 

 

There are many ways we can help. Some things that you can do to make acid rain less of a problem are:

 

	Only run the dishwasher with a full load
	Only run the washing machine with a full load
	Turn off the lights in empty rooms or when you will be away from home
	Turn off the hot water tank when you will be gone for a long period of time
	Don't use your air conditioner or heater as much
	Install fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent light bulbs
	Try to reduce, reuse, and recycle as often as you can
	Try not to burn a fire often
	When you are going to work, you could walk, ride your bike, or take a bus
	Car-pool to a place with someone else
	For alternate fuels, try ethanol, propane, or natural gas
	Take the train or a bus for long trips
	Limit the amount of long trips you take in your car
	Make sure that your vehicle's air conditioning system isn't leaking
	Try not to overflow the gas tank
	Make sure that you are traveling at high speeds only when you need to

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