Acid Rain By: Tatijana Lindsey Priscilla Puca Pamela Marte & Joe Trembley

Table of Contents Introduction What is Acid Rain? Acid Rains effect on people Economic effects of Acid Rain Visual Aids of Acid Rain Impact on Environment Chemistry of Acid Rain

Introduction Not a lot of people are aware of the dangers of Acid Rain, also known as acid precipitation. It is a very big problem in our world today. It effects our economy, environment, and health. By the end of this presentation students will be able to understand what acid rain exactly is, and what they could try to do to prevent it.

What is Acid Rain Acid Rain is a serious environmental problem that affects United States and Canada. It is made up of harmful chemicals such as: Nitrogen Sulfur Carbon Dioxide Those 3 chemicals that were named, come from black smokes that factories let out of their large smoke stacks. The smoke gets mixed up in the water cycle which then creates acid rain. It can also be in forms of rain, hail, fog, snow or even dust clouds.

Acid Rains effect on People Acid rain looks, feels, and taste just like regular rain. Scientist are not certain whether there is a direct effect on humans because it has never been proven. Walking or swimming in the acid rain, is just the same as walking or swimming in regular water However, the chemical makeup of acid rain, for example sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, do damage human health. Many scientifical studies have identified a relationship between elevated levels of fine particles, and increased illnesses or heart and lung disorders.

Health Problems Sulfate dioxide and nitrogen dioxide can cause problems, such as, asthma, and dry coughs. Nose, eye, and throat irritations, and headaches It can damage or irritate lungs Also cause liver problems, and give you diarrhea Acid Rain dissolves the lead and copper in drinking pipes. Which then affects our drinking water.

Economic Effects Acid Rain eats away at metal, stone, paint and any other material exposed to weather for a long period of time. In Canada, the maple tree industry is affected immensely. It cost too much money to repair them, and after awhile if not repaired then people will lose their jobs. Also, bridges and buildings are effected greatly. If destroyed the government will need to raise taxes to help to pay for these damages. Acid Rain can also cause damage to certain important monuments that are comprised of limestone, sandstone, granite, and marble. This is most commonly seen in old gravestones where inscriptions are no longer visible.

Economic Effects Cont.d Acid Rain turns marble to a crumbly gypsum, and cause bridges and other structures to corrode and deteriorate. The problem applies to planes and trains as well, which results in increased maintenance costs and potentially hazardous situations. It affects historic artifacts. Ventilation systems of most buildings cannot filter out acidic particles because they are so fine. These particles are destroying works of art, including vintage books and clothing, flags, tapestries and other antiques.

Visual Aids of Acid Rain

Impact on Environment The effect on tress because they react with many nutrients that the tree needs such as calcium, magnesium, potassium. Acid rain makes the trees starve which then does damage to the fruits they are growing. It cause to become weak then it blows or breaks down under the weight of snow. Acid rain can damage the soil because the farmers need the soil to grow crops. If the soil is damage then crops are not able to grow which then leads in a decline of sales in markets. The effect on lakes and rivers are that the underwater animals would die. The acid water also affects the reproduction of fishes. Low Ph’s can cause fish eggs not to hatch and kill adult fishes. Fishermen have a harder time catching fishes because the fish are dying. For example, in Minn. 100 fishes in 140 lakes have been greatly affected because of the acid water.

Chemistry of Acid Rain Acid rain is any form of precipitation that is noticeably more acidic than normal rain. The chemicals that make the rain acidic is carbon dioxide dissolving in atmospheric moisture to form carbon acid. Sulfur oxides from volcanic eruptions are other natural sources of acids rain. These chemicals come from volcanic eruptions and the burning of power plants from lighting and other natural causes. To see how acidic the rain is we use a Ph scale. Ph is a measure that we use to determine how acidic a substance is. The higher the range of water is, the more alkaline is included. The average Ph of normal rain would be seven. Every drop higher than seven, the rain is 10 times more acidic.