Acid Rain

Acid rain is a serious environmental problem that is really a lot of rethinking by humans. This is a common problem that is gradually affecting human life. The term acid rain was first introduced by Angus Smith when he wrote about industrial pollution in England at 2001.But the term acid rain is not evective, the evective one is acid deposition. Acid rain can also be interpreted as all sorts of rain with a pH below 5.6. Rain is naturally acidic (pH slightly under 6) because of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air that dissolves with rain water has a shape as a weak acid. Type of acid in rain is very beneficial because it helps dissolve minerals in the soil needed by plants and animals.

Basically Acid rain is caused by two air pollutants, Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NO) which are both produced through combustion. But about 50% SO2 in the atmosphere occurs naturally throughout the world, for example, from volcanic eruptions and forest fires are natural. While the other 50% comes from human activities, for example due to BBF combustion, metal smelting and power generation. 

When they burn, they make sulphur dioxide (SO2). Most sulphur leaves factory chimneys as the gaseous sulphur dioxide (SO2) and most nitrogen is also emitted as one of the nitrogen oxides (NO or NO2), both of which are gases. The gases may be dry deposited–absorbed directly by the land, by lakes or by the surface vegetation. If they are in the atmosphere for any time, the gases will oxidise (gain an oxygen atom) and go into solution as acids. Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) and the nitrogen oxides will become nitric acid (HNO3). The acids usually dissolve in cloud droplets and may travel great distances before being precipitated as acid rain.

Acid rain affects us in many different ways. One major way is our health. Breathing and lung problems in children and adults who have asthma and in children have been linked to acid air pollution. Everything that we eat, drink, and breathe has at one time come in contact with acid deposits. This could threaten our health by making us become sick.

Acid rain can also damage non-living things, such as buildings and statues. It can decay building materials and paints. Worst of all, it can damage non-replaceable buildings, statues, and sculptures that are part of our nation’s memories that we want to last for a very long time.

There are a lot of similarities in all of these pollutants. Most of the pollutants are from automobiles. Automobiles release harmful smoke into the air, which causes acid rain. Coal, oil, and gasoline are also some of the most common causes of all of the pollutants. If people reduce the amount of these things that they release into the air, then there will be less pollutants. Some of the most common health problems are breathing problems, nervous system problems, and lung problems.