A Growing Concern: An Introduction to Acid Rain

If you have ever seen a statue or other large structure that looks like it’s being dissolved away, then you are observing first hand one of the effects of acid rain.  Acid rain is a phenomenon that occurs when chemical substances like nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides are mixed with rainwater.  A huge excess of these chemicals results from various forms of human activity involving the burning of fossil fuels such as car emissions and factory emanation.  The harmful substances that a coal power plant releases over a year are roughly equal to that of the infamous 1980 explosion of Mount St. Helens.  When these chemicals mix with water droplets, they cause an overall lowering of pH, which results in higher levels of acidity.  Acid rain causes a variety of problems to human health, the environment and manmade infrastructure.  This is a far-reaching problem: there are over 1,350 streams in the Mid-Atlantic United States alone that have been acidified by acid rain, while cities and water bodies all over North America, Asia and Europe are also being effected.  But while things may seem bleak, there are ways to mitigate the acid rain problem.  Both individuals and large industries like power plants can take steps to lessen the amount of harmful substances that cause acid rain.