Acid Rain and your community By: Ester Boals, Jennifer Kelley & Kelsie Warner

Just what is Acid Rain? Acid Rain is the term used to describe the ways in which acid precipitates out of the atmosphere. Acid Rain is more accurately termed acid deposition. There are two types of acid deposition: wet and dry. The types of wet deposition are: acidic rain, fog, and snow. The types of dry deposition are: acidic gases and particles.

The contributors Factories give off sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide. The exhaust from the car contains a lot of nitric oxide.

The making of Acid Rain Atmospheric gases + H 2 O(g) + O 2 (g) + chemicals  H 2 SO 4 (g) + HNO 3 (g) Atmospheric gases react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals the produce the components of acid rain: sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Sunlight acts as a catalyst to increases the rate of most of these reactions.

The reactions… The making of Nitric acid :The making of Nitric acid :  N 2 ( g ) + O 2 ( g )  2NO( g ) N 2 ( g ) + O 2 ( g )  2NO( g )  2NO( g ) + ½ O 2 ( g )  NO 2 2NO( g ) + ½ O 2 ( g )  NO 2  3NO 2 ( g ) + H 2 O  2HNO 3 ( aq ) + NO( g ) 3NO 2 ( g ) + H 2 O  2HNO 3 ( aq ) + NO( g ) The making of Sulfuric acid:  SO 2 ( g )  SO 3 ( g )  H 2 SO 4 ( aq ) SO 2 ( g )  SO 3 ( g )  H 2 SO 4 ( aq ) lightning O2O2 H2OH2O

Effects of Acid Rain

Water and Aquatic Animals Lakes and streams become acidic when the natural buffers in the water and surrounding soil cannot neutralize the acid rain. A low buffering capacity allows aluminum, which is toxic to many aquatic organisms, to leach into the water.

Plants and Forests Acid rain causes slower growth, injury, and death to plants. Acid rain damages the leaves of plants, leaches important nutrients (calcium, potassium, and magnesium) from the soil, and increases the level of toxic aluminum in the soil.

Limestone Acid rain can cause the corrosion of metals and the deterioration of stones like limestone. Reaction with limestone (calcium carbonate) –CaCO3 + H2SO4  CaSO4 + H2CO3 –The calcium sulfate is soluble in water which causes the stone to crumble.

Copper Copper naturally oxidizes to form a protective coating that protects the metal from corrosion Acid rain can cause copper to corrode before this coating can form

Effects on Human Health Acid rain itself is not harmful to humans, but the pollutants that cause it are The sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide can cause respiratory problems such as asthma and bronchitis

Clean Air Act In 1970 Congress created the Clean Air Act as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce air pollution. In 1990 the act was revised and introduced changes to reduce acid pollution. The EPA sets limits on the amount of air pollution that can come from sources like chemical plants, utilities, and steel mills. There are monetary penalties for plants that exceed their limit of SO2 and NO.

The Good News

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