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ACID RAIN

Acid Rain--A Contemporary World Problem Acid rain is one of the most dangerous and widespread forms of pollution. Sometimes called "the unseen plague," acid rain can go undetected in an area for years. Technically, acid rain is rain that has a larger amount of acid in it than what is normal. The acidity of rain in parts of Europe and North America has dramatically increased over the past few decades. It is now common in many places for rain to be ten to seventy times more acid than unpolluted rain. any living and non!living systems become harmed and damaged as a result of acid rain. This website gives an informational, in!depth loo" at acid rain!!it#s causes and effects$ and solutions to the acid rain problem. Causes of Acid Rain Acid rain is caused by smo"e and gases that are given off by factories and cars that run on fossil fuels. %hen these fuels are burned to produce energy, the sulfur that is present in the fuel combines with o&ygen and becomes sulfur dio&ide$ some of the nitrogen in the air becomes nitrogen o&ide. These pollutants go into the atmosphere, and become acid. Sulfur dio&ide and nitrogen o&ide are produced especially when coal is burnt for fuel. 'urning coal produces electricity, and the more electricity that people use, the more coal is burnt. (f course, nowadays people probably couldn#t live without electricity, so coal will continue to be burnt$ but electricity and energy are constantly being overused. Thin" of it this way) every time you turn on a light switch or the television set without really needing to, you#re indirectly contributing to the acid rain problem. Automobiles produce nitrogen o&ides *which cause acid rain+, so every time you don#t carpool when you can, you are helping to cause acid rain. So now that we "now what causes acid rain, here#s a loo" at how acid rain can hurt you and the world around you. . . Solutions to the Acid Rain Problem Acid rain is a big problem, but it is not unstoppable. If the amount of sulfur dio&ides and nitrogen o&ides in the air is reduced, then acid rain will be reduced. There are many helpful things that "normal" people *people who aren#t part of a power company or the government+ can do. ,irst of all, conserve energy and pollute less- .se less electricity$ and carpool, use public transportation, or wal" when you can. This will help more than one might thin". %hen less energy is used, less coal is burnt, and as a result, there is less acid rain. E&perts say that if energy was used more carefully, we could cut the amount of fuel burned in halfAlso, if coal was cleaned before it was burnt, the dangerous pollutants that cause acid rain would be cleaned away. If coal is crushed and washed in water, the sulfur washes out. /owever, this is a very costly method, and many power companies and governments do not want to spend their money cleaning coal. It is also costly to burn low!sulfur coal *low!sulfur coal gives off less sulfur in the air as opposed to high!sulfur coal+.

0eople can help by writing letters or ma"ing phone calls to their power companies or their local1state1federal governments. They may not want to spend their money to stop acid rain, but if enough people spea" out and voice their opinions, changes will have to be made. If you need someplace to start, here is the address to the U.S. Department of ner!y" ..S. 2epartment of Energy EE!33 3444 Independence Avenue, S% %ashington, 25 64787!4363 What Acid Rain #ath Wrou!ht Internationally Acid rain is truly a worldly problem. 0eople, the environment, and other things all over the earth are suffering from acid rain!!from the .nited States to the Arctic region. /ere are a few of the ma9or problems caused by acid rain around the world) In 'ra:il,fish are dying in the reddish water, trees are turning to s"eletons, and human health has suffered immensely. 0oland is one of the most polluted in the world, and burns coal with much sulfur in it. There is much human illness in cities close to coal burning factories, and in 5ra"ow, the golden roof of a chapel is ;uic"ly dissolving. In the country of 5:echoslova"ia, the sic"ness rate for children is ;uite high because of acid rain, especially in the form of breathing problems. uch of the fresh water there is too acidic to drin". North America is a huge contributer to the world#s pollution and acid rain. 'ac" in 3<86, in the .nited States and 5anada alone, 73,444 people died from sulfur pollution *thin" of how much that number must have increased in 38 years-+ In 3<=>, a bridge over the (hio ?iver collapsed due to corrosion from acid rain, and "illed @= people. In South Africa, There is lots of coal burning near Aruger National 0ar", and the par" is currently facing the threat of acid rain. #o$ Acid Rain Affects %he n&ironment Acid rain is an e&tremely destructive form of pollution, and the environment suffers from its effects. ,orests, trees, la"es, animals, and plants suffer from acid rain. %rees are an e&tremely important natural resource. They provide timber, regulate local climate, and forests are homes to wildlife. Acid rain can ma"e trees lose their leaves or needles, as is shown in these pictures of forests damaged by acid rain in Bermany. The needles and leaves of the trees turn brown and fall off. Trees can also suffer from stunted growth$ and have damaged bar" and leaves, which ma"es them vulnerable to weather,

disease, and insects. All of this happens partly because of direct contact between trees and acid rain, but it also happens when trees absorb soil that has come into contact with acid rain. The soil poisons the tree with to&ic substances that the rain has deposited into it. 'a(es are also damaged by acid rain. A la"e polluted by acid rain will support only the hardiest species. ,ish die off, and that removes the main source of food for birds. Also, birds can die from eating "to&ic" fish and insects. Cust as birds can be "illed from eating to&ic fish, fish can die from eating animals that are to&ic. Acid rain can even "ill fish before they are born. Acid rain hits the la"es mostly in the springtime, when fish lay their eggs. The eggs come into contact with the acid, and the entire generation can be "illed. ,ish usually die only when the acid level of a la"e is high$ when the acid level is lower, they can become sic", suffer stunted growth, or lose their ability to reproduce. #o$ Acid Rain Affects Architecture Architecture and artwor" can be destroyed by acid rain. Acid particles can land on buildings, causing corrosion. %hen sulfur pollutants fall of the sufaces of buildings *especially those made out of sandstone or limestone+, they react with the minerals in the stone to form a powdery substance that can be washed away by rain. This powdery substance is called !ypsum. Acid rain can damage buildings, stained glass, railroad lines, airplanes, cars, steel bridges, and underground pipes. The pictures above display what acid rain can do to architecture. The left picture shows castle stonewor" in the .A damaged by acid rain. The picture on the right shows how acid rain has eroded the stonewor" of a castle in Dincolnshire, England, and has left a figurehead barely visible. 5urrently, both the railway industry and the airplane industry are having to spend a lot of money to repair the corrosive damage done by acid rain. Also, bridges have collapsed in the past due to acid rain corrosion. #o$ Acid Rain Affects People /umans can become seriously ill, and can even die from the effects of acid rain. (ne of the ma9or problems that acid rain can cause in a human being is respiratory problems. any can find it difficult to breathe, especially people who have asthma. Asthma, along with dry coughs, headaches, and throat irritations can be caused by the sulfur dio&ides and nitrogen o&ides from acid rain. Acid rain can be absorbed by both plants *through soil and1or direct contact+ and animals *from things they eat and1or direct contact+. %hen humans eat these plants or animals, the to&ins inside of their meals can affect them. 'rain damage, "idney problems, and Al:heimer#s disease has been lin"ed to people eating "to&ic" animals1plants. %hen the .nited States 5ongress (ffice of Technology Assessment loo"ed at the effects

of acid rain in North America in the year 3<86, they discovered that sulfur pollution "ills 73,444 people in a year, and about 644,444 people become ill as a result of the pollution. 0eople are getting sic" and dying, but we can stop it- Bo bac" to the main page to discover solutions to the acid rain problem. What you can do to help reduce acid rain emissions Sulphur dio&ide and nitrogen o&ides are the main pollutants that cause acid rain. These pollutants are emitted largely by the combustion of fossil fuels. ?educing the use of fossil fuels therefore, including the use of electricity generated by coal! and oil!fired power plants, will help reduce acid rain!causing emissions. The following are some more specific suggestions on what you, as an individual, can do) In the home

Install a low!flow showerhead. ?un the dishwasher only with a full load. ?un the washing machine with a full load. If using an automatic dishwasher, let the dishes air dry. /ang dry some!or all!of the laundry. 'uy energy!efficient appliances. Avoid the use of air conditioners altogether. Turn out the lights in empty rooms and when away from home. 5onsider installing compact fluorescent bulbs instead of high!wattage incandescent bulbs. Turn off the hot water tan" when going away for e&tended periods of time. Install additional insulation on the hot water tan" and pipes. Insulate and draft!proof your basement. %eather!strip doors and windows. Turn down the heat at night and when away from home. If you have a forced!air furnace, change or clean its filters at least once a year. 2on#t use sin" garbage disposal units.

In the yard

5onsider changing to a low!maintenance landscape. If you have a pool, "eep a cover over it when you are not using it.

While shoppin!

Doo" for products bearing the EcoDogo. They minimi:e the use of environmentally ha:ardous substances and ma&imi:e energy efficiency and the use of recycled materials. 'uy locally produced or grown items from local stores and businesses. They don#t re;uire the transportation energy of imported products.

%ransportation

%al", ride your bi"e or ta"e a bus to wor". Share a ride with a friend or co!wor"er. /ave your engine tuned at least once every si& months. 5hec" your car tire pressure regularly. .se alternative fuels, such as ethanol, propane or natural gas. Avoid unnecessary idling. In the winter, warm your car#s engine with a bloc" heater for two to three hours prior to driving, rather than plugging in the battery overnight. ?educe the number of trips you ma"e in your car. 2rive at moderate speeds. Ta"e the train or bus on long trips. Bo 5,5!,ree.

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