MAY 24, 2022 / / 24 / / 28

SCIENCE & SOCIETY

ACID PRECIPITATION IS NOW ALL BUT POSSIBLE TO DEFEAT

What is Acid
Precipitation?
Acid rain is created when sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxides come into contact with each
other in the atmosphere and moved around by
currents like air and wind. Sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxides react with either water, oxygen,
or other chemicals, will become sulfuric and
nitric acids. After becoming acids, they will
combine with water and additional substances
before going to the ground in a form of
precipitate.

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are not the

only thing that make up acid precipitation.
While some of it comes from volcanoes which is
a natural source, nearly all comes from burning
fossil fuels. Volcanoes that are active can
produce sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and
hydrochloric acid, however that does depend on PICTURE CAPTION: The chemical process of what creates acid precipitation.
the emissions that are correlated with particular
volcanoes. A few of these sources would come

Fun Facts
from trying to generate electricity by burning
fossil fuels, which becoming more and more
common as acidic pollutants. Another would
come from vehicles which distributes a lot of
pollution. Heavy equipment is another example
of a pollutant that is being released to create acid
precipitation. A few other examples would be
manufacturing, oil refineries, and many other
industries.
The problem with acid precipitation is that wind
currents are able to blow the sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxides around making acid
precipitation a problem for more people and not
just people who live close to the sources that
create acidic pollutants. In fact, the wind can
blow the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides over
a wide area, even crossing boarders.
There are two different types of acid deposition,
or precipitation, are wet and dry deposition. The
wet deposition is what we know as acid rain.
The sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides will
come together with a type of precipitate like fog,
hail, rain, or snow, to create an acid precipitate.
On the other hand, dry deposition is when there
is a lack of moisture in the air. Without the
moisture the sulfuric and nitric acids fall and
accumulate on different surfaces. When the next
rain arrives it will wash off the acids that were
on the surfaces and the acidic water will leak
into the ground and possibly cause harm to the
animals and plants.
 Modern living is the primary cause of
acid rain. Since you are living very
comfortable in your house right now
contributes to acid rain. This happens
since we depend on fossil fuels, and
fossil fuels are a main ingredient in
acid precipitation.
 Acid precipitation causes severe
respiratory problems and affect human
health significantly. Roughly five
hundred premature deaths happen
every year because of acid rain.
 There are more different types of acid
precipitation than you would realize.
A few different types would be rain,
snow, hail, fog, or cloud water. There
is also the possibility of getting acid
gas or acid dust in lieu of rain.
 In rare cases the environment is able to
resist the acid rain. This can only
happen is specific parts of the world
where the pH of water is more alkaline
which makes the acid rain have little or
no effect. It is also possible for rocks
and soils to contain extreme
concentrations of calcium or
magnesium, which can reduce or, at
times, neutralize the acid precipitation.
 The livelihood of trees is directly
affected by acid rain. This happens
since the acid rain disrupts the
photosynthesis process by reducing the
plants’ ability to take in certain gases
like carbon dioxide. Experts say that
acid rain is the main source of forest
death in various parts of the world.
 Robert Angus Smith was the first
person to use the phrase acid rain back
in the middle of the nineteenth century.
He also wrote about the connection
between pollution and acid rain.
 A camera that specialized in being an
alarm system to signal the leak of
specific gases has been developed by
the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid’s
Laboratorio del Infarrojo. This
technology was produced so that it
could distinguish the volumes of
contaminants like sulfur dioxide in the
air.
 Scientific American believes that the
acid rain problem will continue to get
worse. There reasons are that with a
constantly growing population, farmers
will need to use nitrogen fertilizer to
feed people, and that will create more
nitric acid.

PAGE 1
MAY 24, 2022 / / 24 / / 28
What Has Happened to the Environment
Because of Acid Precipitation in Lake 223
Canadian scientist, Cyndy Desjardins, has
been working on an experiment that deals
with acid precipitation falling of freshwater
ecosystems. They did some test that added
minute amounts of sulfuric acid into lake 223
to decrease the pH levels that would appear
to be similar to having acid rain in that lake.
They were trying to make it drop from 6.8 to
5.0 over seven years as that was the length of
the experiment. They later released that the
fish were losing weight and the breeding
rates of the white suckers and lake trout were
very low. The fathead minnows almost went
extinct, and the Mysis went completely into
extinction. This was very disappointing since
the Mysis were a very important factor in the
ecosystem that it was in resulting in less food
for the larger fish. They are the main meal for
growing fish and as the fish grow, they need
different sizes of fish. The fish need a
medium in between microscopic zoo
plankton to larger prey and Mysis happen to
fill that gap.
Acid rain decreases pH levels of water making
it difficult for aquatic life to survive in an area
that repeatedly receives acid rain.
Cyndy Desjardins holds a Master of
Science degree in Biology, with a
specialization in chemical and
environmental toxicology. Which is a very
prestigious education.
PICTURE CAPTION: A forest after acid precipitation came through.
SCIENCE &
SOCIETY
How Does Acid
Precipitation Affect
Your Health?
Strangely enough if you walk in acid rain it
will have the same effects as walking in rain,
making you wet. It is also possible to swim in
water that has been affected by acid rain
without getting sick.
Even if the acid rain will not affect you, it is
the products that make the acid precipitation
harmful to humans. Sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxides are able to react in the
atmosphere to create particles. These particles
are called sulfate and nitrate particles. People
can then inhale the particles and the particles
will reach their lungs.
Unfortunately, many scientific studies have
shown that people with increased heart disease
risk can get heart attacks which may cause
death because of the sulfate and nitrate
particles. There is a connection between the
sulfate and nitrate particles and the effects on
the hearts function. There are also risks of the
lungs function, but usually only affects people
with asthma and gives them breathing
PICTURE CAPTION: Canadian Scientist, Cyndy
difficulties.
Desjardins, helping reintroduce Mysis into lake
223 after it was acidified in the 1970’s.
Nitrogen oxides emissions are also harmful to
human health since they assist with the ground
level ozone.
The Economy and
Acid Precipitation
The economy is not affected too much by acid
precipitation. However, the economic loss is
great as acid rain does harm buildings and
infrastructure as well as the environment
which all costs money.
Acid precipitation in Canada has wiped out
many diverse types of fish, molluscs, and
frogs in the thousands of the Eastern Canadian
lakes.
Acid rain is able to harm buildings since the
acids disperses the stone or corrodes the metal
that is subjected to the weather. This can cost
a lot of money because of all the buildings that
are made out of stone or metal will need to be
fixed at some point.
PAGE 2
MAY 24, 2022 / / 24 / / 28
SCIENCE &
SOCIETY

What the Government is Doing About Acid Precipitation

The government has imitated a program that the Later on, sub-settlements on sulphur and nitrogen Scientists have discovered several ways to
U.S. government created to reduce acid oxides happened after the 1979 agreement. decrease the total of sulfur dioxide from coal-
precipitation. The program is called EPA or burning power plants. One way is to use coal that
Environmental Protection Agency. This program Afterwards, Canada and the United States had a includes much less sulfur than usual coal. There
limits the amount of sulfur dioxide that power contract that was called the Transboundary Air is also the possibility of washing down the coal to
plants are authorized to leak out into the Pollution that was signed in 1980. That only led get rid of some of the sulfur before using it.
atmosphere. The agency also enforces power to the signing of the Canada-United States Air Another option would be for the power plant to
plants to cover their sulfur dioxide emissions. Quality Agreement. There were very certain instal a special type of equipment called
The program also makes sure that the volume of promises that the pact was a part of. The scrubbers. Scrubbers eliminate the sulfur dioxide
nitrogen oxides is restricted to the amount that commitment of cutting the sulphur and nitrogen from gases going away from the power plant.
the powerplants are legally permitted to oxides emissions, ensure visibility protection, Some power plants are even changing the way
discharge. prevent the deterioration of clean areas, and that they burn the coal since that is another way
conduct emissions monitoring. that the nitrogen oxides are produced.
The Canadian program is called the Eastern
Canada Acid Rain Program. The program want to All of these agreements have benefited The government has also decided to start using
have a science and monitoring program. Canada Canadians by giving us fresh air as well as less cleaner sources of energy. Instead of using fossil
also needed support from other countries with acid precipitation. This will definitely assist our fuels or non-renewable energy sources, they will
concerns that were similar to their own. This led environment as well as our economy. This will use renewable energy sources. An example of
to Canada joining with European nations as well help in general since we will be able to pay less that would be to use solar or wind power. This
as the United States to sign the United Nations for any damage that the acid precipitation has would reduce the amount of acid precipitation
Economic Commission for Europe Convention done to the environment. since there would be less man-made sources to
on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution interact with the ingredients of acid precipitation
(UNECELRTAP) in 1979. and make the acid precipitation in the first place.

Dear Editor Page

- I was really waiting for this edition on
acid precipitation to come out. These
has helped me a lot on my culminating
activity.
-A student
- I am not one to read newspapers on
science as I usually just look it up on the
web. However, this one caught my
attention on the second page when I
realized that my cousin, Cyndy
Desjardins, was a part of it. The
content was also very professional.
-A colleague of Cyndy Desjardins
- As a scientist myself, I was very
interested in this article. I help in the
acid precipitation field once in a while
and am glad that my colleague, Cyndy
Desjardins, has been a helping hand in
the effort.
-Herbert Bormann
- I never knew how much damage acid
rain did before I read this article. I own
a huge power plant but have always
ignored the regulation. I will be more
considerate from know on and instal a
scrubber to clean the polluted air.
-Mr. Burn
- I was forced to read this newspaper
and send a response in from my
teacher. It was not a chore after I read PICTURE CAPTION: Rachelle Joosse; the editor,
it and was particularly easy for me to writer, and publisher of this newspaper edition.
read. I actually enjoyed reading about
science. ABOUT SCIENCE!
-Jack Anderson
- As a science teacher, I can correct so
many of the mistakes the amateur who
wrote this article. However, most of
the content did sound professional. But
some of the facts were missing.
Otherwise, I am impressed.
-Marva Lee

PAGE 3