Acid Rain,its causes and effects

7/24/2019 Acid Rain,its causes and effects

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Acid rain is rain that has been made acidicby certain pollutants in the air. Acid

rain is a type of acid deposition, which can appear in many forms. Wet

deposition is rain, sleet, snow, or fog that has become more acidic than normal.Dry deposition is another form of acid deposition, and this is when gases and

dust particles become acidic. Both wet and dry deposition can be carried by the

wind, sometimes for very long distances. Acid deposition in wet and dry forms

falls on buildings, cars, and trees and can make lakes acidic. Acid deposition in

dry form can be inhaled by people and can cause health problems in some

people.

What is acidity?

Acidic and basic are two ways that we describe chemical

compounds. Acidity is measured using a pH scale. A pH scale

runs from zero the most acidic! to "# the

most basicor alkaline!. A substance that is neither basic or

acidic is called $neutral$, and this has a pH of %.

Sources of Acid Rain

Acid rain is caused by a chemical reaction that begins when compoundslike

sulfur dio&ide and nitrogen o&ides are released into the air. 'hese substancescan rise very high into the atmosphere, where they mi& and react with water,

o&ygen, and other chemicals to form more acidic pollutants, known as acid

rain. (ulfur dio&ide and nitrogen o&ides dissolve very easily in water and can

be carried very far by the wind. As a result, the two compounds can travel

long distances where they become part of the rain, sleet, snow, and fog that

we e&perience on certain days.

Human activities are the main cause of acid rain.

)ver the past few decades, humans have released so many di*erent

chemicals into the air that they have changed the mi& of gases in the

atmosphere. +ower plants release the maority of sulfur dio&ide and much of

the nitrogen o&ides when they burn fossil fuels, such as coal, to produce

electricity. -n addition, thee&haustfrom cars, trucks, and buses releases

nitrogen o&ides and sulfur dio&ide into the air. 'hese pollutants cause acid

rain.
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Acid Rain is Caused by Reactions in the Environment

ature depends on balance, and although some rain is naturally acidic, with

a pHlevel of around /.0, human activities have made it worse.

ormalprecipitation1such as rain, sleet, or snow1reacts with alkaline

chemicals, or non2acidic materials, that can be found in air, soils, bedrock,

lakes, and streams. 'hese reactions usually neutralizenatural acids.

However, if precipitation becomes too acidic, these materials may not be

able to neutralize all of the acids. )ver time, these neutralizing materials can

be washed away by acid rain. Damage to crops, trees, lakes, rivers, and

animals can result.

Acid Rain Can Cause Health Problems in People

Air pollution like sulfur dio&ide and nitrogen o&ides can cause respiratory

diseases, or can make these diseases worse. 3espiratory diseases

like asthmaor chronic bronchitismake it hard for people to breathe. 'he

pollution that causes acid rain can also create tiny particles. When these

particles get into people4s lungs, they can cause health problems, or can make

e&isting health problems worse. Also, nitrogen o&ides cause ground2

level ozone. 'his ground2level ozone causes respiratory problems,

like pneumoniaand bronchitis, and can even cause permanent lung damage.

'he health e*ects that people have to worry about are not caused by the acid

rain, but are caused when people breathe in these tiny particles or ozone.

(wimming in an acidic lake or walking in an acidic puddle is no more harmful topeople than swimming or walking in clean water.

Acid Rain Harms Forests

Acid rain can be e&tremely harmful to forests. Acid rain that

seeps into the ground can dissolve nutrients, such as

magnesium and calcium, that trees need to be healthy. Acid

rain also causes aluminumto be released into the soil, which

makes it di5cult for trees to take up water. 'rees that are

located in mountainous regions at higher elevations, such as spruce or 6r

trees, are at greater risk because they are e&posed to acidic clouds and fog,

which contain greater amounts of acid than rain or snow. 'he acidic clouds and

fog strip important nutrients from their leaves and needles. 'his loss of

nutrients makes it easier for infections, insects, and cold weather to damage

trees and forests.

Acid Rain Damaes !a"es and Streams
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Without pollution or acid rain, most lakes and streams would have a pH level

near 7./. Acid rain, however, has caused many lakes and streams in the

northeast 8nited (tates and certain other places to have much lower pH levels.

-n addition, aluminum that is released into the soil eventually ends up in lakes

and streams. 8nfortunately, this increase in acidity and aluminum levels can

be deadly to a9uatic wildlife, including phytoplankton, may:ies, rainbow trout,

small mouth bass, frogs, spotted salamanders, cray6sh, and other creatures

that are part of the food web.

'his problem can become much worse during heavy downpours of rain or when

the snow begins to melt in the spring. 'hese types of events are known

as episodic acidi#cation.

Acid Rain Damaes $uildins and %b&ects

Acid rain can also have a damaging e*ect on many obects, including buildings,statues, monuments, and cars. 'he chemicals found in acid rain can cause

paint to peel and stone statues to begin to appear old and worn down, which

reduces their value and beauty.

'easures to reduce Acid rain

EPA(s Acid Rain Proram

+ower plants generate the electricity we use every day. 8nfortunately, powerplants also produce large amounts of nitrogen o&ides and sulfur dio&ide1the

pollutants that cause acid rain1when they burn fossil fuels, especially coal, to

produce energy.

Reducin Pollution

(cientists have found di*erent ways to reduce the amount of sulfur dio&ide

released from coal2burning power plants. )ne option is to use coal that

contains less sulfur. Another option is to ;wash< the coal to remove some of the

sulfur. 'he power plant can also install e9uipment called scrubbers, which

remove the sulfur dio&ide from gases leaving the smokestack. Because

nitrogen o&ides are created in the process of burning coal and other fossil fuels,

some power plants are changing the way they burn coal.

%ther Sources of Enery

A great way to reduce acid rain is to produce energy without using fossil fuels.

-nstead, people can use renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind
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power. 3enewable energy sources help reduce acid rain because they produce

much less pollution. 'hese energy sources can be used to power machinery

and produce electricity.

Cleaner Cars=ars and trucks are maor sources of the pollutants that cause acid rain. While

one car alone does not produce much pollution, all the cars on the road added

together create lots of pollution. 'herefore, car manufacturers are re9uired to

reduce the amount of nitrogen o&ides and other pollutants released by new

cars. )ne type of technology used in cars is called a catalytic converter. 'his

piece of e9uipment has been used for over >0 years to reduce the amount of

nitrogen o&ides released by cars. (ome new cars can also use cleaner fuels,

such as natural gas.

?overnment agencies and scientists are not the only ones that can take action

to stop acid rain. @ou can become part of the solution,

too

)nderstand the Problem

'he 6rst step you can take to help control acid rain is to

understand the problem and its solutions. ow that youhave learned about this environmental issue, you can tell

others about it. By telling your classmates, parents, and teachers about what

you learned on this site, you can help educate them about the problem of acid

rain. @ou =A make a di*erence

Conserve Enery

(ince energy production creates large amounts of the pollutants that cause

acid rain, one important step you can take is to conserve energy. @ou can do

this in a number of ways

'urn o* lights, computers, televisions, video games, and other electrical

e9uipment when youCre not using them.

ncourage your parents to buy e9uipment that uses less electricity,

including lights, air conditioners, heaters, refrigerators, and washing


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machines. (uch e9uipment might have the (tar label.

'ry to limit the use of air conditioning.

Ask your parents to adust the thermostat the device used to control the

temperature in your home! when you go on vacation.

'inimi*e the 'iles

Driving cars and trucks also produces large amounts of nitrogen o&ides, which

cause acid rain. 'o help cut down on air pollution from cars, you can carpool or

take public transportation, such as buses and trains. Also, ask your parents to

walk or bike with you to a nearby store or friend4s house instead of driving

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Acid Rain,its causes and effects