Acid Rain

Rain is very important for life. All living
things need water to live, even people.
Rain brings us the water we need. But in many
places in the world even where you live, rain
has become a menace.
Because of pollution in the air, acid gases
from factories, cars and homes, the rain is
becoming dangerous for the life of every
living creature.

This rain is known as ‘acid rain’.

WHAT IS ACID RAIN?

Acid gases are produced when fossil fuels like
coal and oil are burned in power stations,
factories and in our own homes. Most of
these acid gases are blown into the sky, and
when they mix with the clouds it can cause rain
– or snow, sleet, fog, mist or hail – to become
more acidic.
The opposites of acid are alkalis; for example, toothpaste and
baking powder are both alkalis. Strong alkalis can also be
dangerous, such as ammonia and bleach.


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Lemon juice, vinegar and cola are all acidic.
Rain is naturally acidic, but acid gases make it
even more acidic, sometimes as acid as lemon!



Nature can also produce acid gases, such as
volcanoes. When they erupt, the smoke that comes
out of the crater is also full of acid gases.





HOW DO WE MEASURE ACIDITY?

There is a special scale called the pH scale that
measures the strength of acids and alkalis.
A low pH number means something is acid. A high
number means something is alkali. And something in the
middle is called neutral.
Acidity can be tested using litmus paper.
Usually rain is a little acidic, and has pH of about 5.5, if the pH of
rainfall is less than 5.5, then the rain is probably polluted by acid
gases.
Acids turn litmus paper red, and alkalis turn it blue. With a
special paper called universal indicator, you can test levels of
acidity.


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WHAT ARE THE MAIN GASES THAT CAUSE ACID RAIN?

When we burn fuels, chemicals called ‘sulphur’ and
‘nitrogen’ are released into the air. Once in the air,
they mix with water in the air – rain, snow, etc – and
are transformed into different chemicals called
‘sulphur dioxide’ and ‘nitrogen oxides’, which can be
very dangerous for plants, animals and people.
Most of the ‘sulphur’ comes from power stations, which make
electricity, and also from volcanoes. Most of the ‘nitrogen oxides’
come from car and truck exhausts.

We call ‘air pollution’ the bad gases that we produce and release
in the air. ‘Sulphur dioxide’ and ‘nitrogen oxides’ are the most
important causes of acid rain.



A PROBLEM ALL OVER THE WORLD

Air pollution can be carried over long
distances. When acid gases are released,
they go high up in the sky, and then they
are pushed by strong winds towards other
countries.
The acid rain in Sweden is caused by air
pollution in Britain and other countries of
Europe. The pollution produced in Britain ends up
mostly in Scandinavia – countries in northern
Europe including Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

In the USA, the winds blow the air pollution to certain areas in
Canada.


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HOW BAD IS ACID RAIN?

When rain is acidic, it affects what it
falls on: trees, lakes, buildings and
farmland.
Sometimes rain is not very acidic and does not
cause a lot of problems, but when it is acidic, it
can be very harmful to the environment.

TREES AND PLANTS

Acid rain can have terrible effects on a forest. The
acid takes away important minerals from the
leaves and the soil.
Minerals are like vitamins for trees and plants.
Without them, trees and plants cannot grow
properly. They lose their leaves and become
very weak. They are no longer strong enough to
fight against illnesses and frost. They become
very ill and can even die.

Some soils are alkaline, when acid rain falls on them the acid
becomes neutral.
Plants and trees living on these soils are not in any big danger.

LAKES AND WATER LIFE

Acid rain has a terrible effect on water life. Even if
the acid rain does not fall straight into the
lake, for example, it may enter from rivers
and streams. Some of the life in the lake
such as fish and plants may end up dying,
because they cannot survive in acidic lakes.

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Thousands of lakes in Scandinavia have no more life in them. They
have received so much acid rain for so many years, because of the
winds pushing the acid gases, that nothing can survive.


You can recognise a
lake dead from acid
rain by its clean and
crystal clear water.
But they look clean
because there is very
little living in them
anymore. Tiny plants
and animals are mostly
unable to survive.


OUR HEALTH

Particulates – very small particles of debris
found in some of the air pollution - are one of
the main causes of health problems. In towns
and cities, these are released mainly by diesel
engines from cars and trucks.
When we breathe in air pollution, these very
fine particulates can easily enter our body,
where they can cause breathing problems, and over time even
cause cancer.
Water we drink from taps can be contaminated by acid rain,
which can damage the brain.




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BUILDINGS

Acid rain can also ruin buildings because the
acid eats into metal and stone. It also damages
stained glass and plastics. Some types of building
materials are softer than others, and it is the
softer ones which are most affected by acid rain.
Sandstone and limestone are examples of stone
which are fairly soft and are damaged easily. Granite is an
example of a harder stone that can resist the effects of acid
rain.

In many places in the world, ancient and famous buildings and
monuments are affected by acid rain. For example,
the Statue of Liberty in New York, USA, has
had to be restored because of acid rain
damage.
Buildings are naturally eroded by rain, wind
frost and the sun, but when acidic gases are
present, it speeds up the erosion.

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