Acid Rain Is Pollution Essay Research Paper

Acid Rain Is Pollution Essay, Research Paper

Acid rain is a common term for pollution caused when S and N dioxides combine with atmospheric wet to bring forth a rain, snow, or hail of sulphuric and azotic acids. Such pollution may besides be suspended in a fog, or the pollutants may be deposited in dry signifier. Environmental harm from acid rain has been reported in northern Europe and North America. High degrees of acid rain have besides been detected in other countries of the universe, such as above the tropical rain wood of Africa. Acid rain has destroyed works and carnal life in lakes, damaged woods and harvests, endangered marine life in coastal Waterss, eroded constructions, and contaminated imbibing H2O. Research has shown that although some of the harm attributed to acid rain is a consequence of natural causes, sulfur dioxide from oil and coal burning and N oxides produced from car engines have greatly intensified the acid rain job. Winds can transport the pollutants 1000s of kilometres off from their beginning. The British authorities has recognized that sulfur emanations from power workss in the United Kingdom are lending to acid deposition in Scandinavia. Canadian emanations contribute well to acid rain in the northeasterly United States, for illustration, and much of the S falling in eastern Canada is believed to arise in the United States. In 1986 the U.S. National Academy of Sciences acknowledged that acerb rain from U.S. beginnings had become a serious job in the eastern United States and Canada. Although the Canadian authorities has agreed to cut down S dioxide emanations, the United States has non placed restrictions on its S emanations that may float into Canada. Scientists agree that acid rain is harmful, but studies refering its badness struggle. A U.S. authorities study issued in September 1987 minimized the environmental harm caused by acerb rain and concluded that the a

cid-rain problem is not increasing. A 1988 survey conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, however, indicated that streams in the eastern United States were more acidic than was previously believed. In 1990 the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP), created by Congress in 1980, issued a report on the results of its study. The report indicated that acidic waters also occur in the southern and midwestern United States, but downplayed acid-rain damage to forests. Many scientists urge that measures to control acid rain begin immediately. The most direct action would be to cut off pollution at the source. Regulations require that new coal-burning plants must install expensive scrubbers in their smokestacks to remove most of the dioxides (see POLLUTION CONTROL). Other possible measures include burning only low-sulfur oil or coal, or removing the sulfur from coal with high sulfur content. Amendments have been proposed to the 1970 Clean Air Act that are designed to reduce sulfur and nitrogen emissions. The costs of such measures are considerable, however, and who should pay them continues to arouse controversy. Bibliography: Bubenick, D. V., Acid Rain Information Book, 2d ed., (1984); Elliott, T. C., and Schwieger, R. G., eds., The Acid Rain Sourcebook (1984); Howard, Ross, and Perley, Michael, Acid Rain (1982); Johnson, A. H., “Acid Deposition,” Environment, May 1986; Martin, H.C., ed., Acid Precipitation (1987); McCormick, J., Acid Rain (1986); Mohnen, V.A., “The Challenge of Acid Rain,” Scientific American, August 1988; Ostmann, Robert, Jr., Acid Rain: A Plague upon the Waters (1982); Park, C.C., Acid Rain (1988); Rhodes, S. L., and Middleton, P., “The Complex Challenge of Controlling Acid Rain,” Environment, May 1983; Schmandt, Jurgen, ed., Acid Rain and Friendly Neighbors, rev. ed. (1989); White, J.C., Acid Rain (1987); Yanarella, E., and Ihara, R.H., eds., The Acid Rain Debate (1985).