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An essay on acid rain
Harmful effects of acid rain on aquatic environment, atmosphere and man
Acid rain as a man made hazard
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Some people think that acid rain can burn skin if it lands on them. This however, does not happen. Acid rain can not burn skin, it still can causes damage to plants, animals, and even structures. Acid rain occurs naturally without human interference, but since humans started to make objects that contribute to the creation of acid rain, it happens more frequently than if humans would not be involved. People not only raised the amount of acid rain that falls, they can also be the ones to bring the amount back down to reasonable levels. In order to help, people must first understand what acid rain is. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has been helping to protect people and the environment they live in since 1970. They help get information out to the public about events that causes damage to the environment. They do this many ways, one of which they …show more content…
When a motor vehicle runs it produces nitrogen oxide which then mixes with the sulfur dioxide from power plants and other places. Together the two gasses then interact with molecules in the atmosphere. This interaction makes the molecules acidic and from there either falls as a form of wet deposition or dry deposition. Every day when people get into their form of motorized transportation, be it a car, truck, motorcycle, etcetera, they all contribute to the creation of acid deposition. Before humans started pumping these gasses into the air the environment could handle the naturally acidic precipitation, but now thanks to their involvement the precipitation has become too acidic for nature to be able to counteract the acidity. “ Over time, these neutralizing materials can be washed away by acid rain. Damage to crops, trees, lakes, rivers, and animals can result.”(What Causes Acid Rain?) Acid rain can cause damage to many different objects, living or nonliving acid rain can still
Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental Protection Agency, (Nov 2011). Caa national enforcement programs. Retrieved from website: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/caa/caaenfprog.html
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website is impressive with its cornucopia of data for maps that are area specific for information on energy, health-related issues, community activism, land (commercial or private property), water (private or public) and air quality. Although I knew the agency existed, until now I had had no reason to visit.
In conclusion, “Acid Rain: Scourge from the Skies” was effective in proving how severe acid rain is and can be. Robert Collins wrote informatively about a notable subject what anyone can comprehend and he used many commendable writing devices which all added to the effectiveness of the essay.
Rain is naturally acidic, due to the CO2 dissolved in it, however when sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen react with the rain water they form sulphuric, and nitric acids which make the rain strongly acidic. SO2 + ½O2 + H2O → H2SO4 It may also take the form of snow or fog. The sulphur dioxides and oxides of nitrogen come mainly from industry. Acid rain is currently a subject of great controversy because of widespread environmental damage for which it has been blamed, including eroding structures, injuring crops and forests, and threatening or depleting life in freshwater lakes.
The EPA operates from a number of laws and regulations designed to function as its foundation for protecting the environment and the health of the public. Congress allows the EPA to write regulations in order to support the ideas for implementing these regulations. For that reason they are known as a regulatory agency. These regulations fall under two categories: Laws and Executive Orders (EOs) that influence environmental protection and Laws and EOs that Influence the Regulatory Process.
They enforce the proper disposal of waste material, the restrictions on greenhouse emissions, pollutants, and other substances harmful to land, water, and our atmosphere. I do support the EPA because it is protecting the very environment that we need to live in. The EPA was created to protect human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on the laws passed by the Congress. I believe that the EPA is necessary, but it does come at a cost. With the EPA, businesses are forced to follow strict guidelines. This comes at a monetary cost that can sometimes cost a great deal of money. This in turn makes the products they produce more expensive for consumer. Overall, I do believe that the EPA and all the rules and regulations they enforce are worth the price at which they are given. Another modern example of government regulations on businesses is sticker shock. Sticker shock is a about fuel economy standards. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the EPA finalized new fuel efficiency standards for cars and light truck for the year 2017-2025. They are requiring the average fuel economy be 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Although this would be great, I don’t think that it is realistic. The sticker price for cars will dramatically increase, and ultimately have a negative effect on the overall economy. I don’t support this regulation as it is unfair and unjust to set
Acid rain has been proven to have damage forests, fresh waters and soils, killing insect and aquatic life-forms. It also causes damage to buildings and impacts on human health. Many people do not know what acid rain actually is. Acid rain is any form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, low pH levels, higher than normal amounts of sulfuric and nitric acid, occurs naturally and from man made sources. Forms when gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals (what is acid rain?). The only water that will not have some amount of acidity is pure water. Pure water has a pH of 7 which is neutral; regular, unpolluted rain water has a pH of around 5.6. The acidity in rain water comes from the presence of Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide, and Sulfur Dioxide. CO2 reacts with water to form carbonic acid. Nitrogen and water react during lightning storms, forming Nitric Oxide. NO is then oxidized to form N02. The NO2 reacts with water to form nitric acid. Due to this, the pH is lowered to be slightly acidic (Acid Rain). Acid rain can occur naturally in the environment, but the problem occurs when human interaction is the cause of the acidic levels.
Acid gases are produced when fossil fuels like coal and oil are burned in power stations, factories and in our own homes. Acid rain is rain that has been made acidic by certain pollutants in the air. Most of these acid gases are blown into the sky, and when they mix with the clouds it can cause rain - or snow, sleet, fog, mist or hail - to become more acidic. Acid rain is rain that has been made acidic by certain pollutants in the air. Acid rain occurs when these gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form various acidic compounds. The result is a mild solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. When sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released from power plants and other sources, prevailing winds blow these
Formed high in the clouds where sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides combine with oxygen and water, acid rain has a devastating ability to kill off aquatic systems, vegetation, animals, etc. The definition of acid rain is the deposition of acidic components in rain, fog, snow, and sleet. Regular rain has a pH that is slightly acidic at 5.6, but what makes one worry are the places like Washington, D.C., which possesses rain readings of 4.2 to 4.4 on the pH scale. Acid rain is mainly composed of Sulfuric Oxide (SO2) and Nitrous Oxide, which are common air pollutants from big industries, 70% of which are electric utility plants. If one views the amount pH levels of various areas around the nation it is easy to see that there is a problem, especially when a 4.0 pH level can drive many fish to die.
to as rain, which has been made more acidic than it should be due to
Liming will not solve the problem of acid rain, to do that we must cut
This means freedom from pollution, and dumping sites, access to clean water, and air quality, and freedom from environmental hazards, such as chemical toxins, industrial pollution, solid waste disposal and noise. Studies have shown that the social distribution of pollution suggest that poor households with low income, minorities, and poor African Americans in the United States are most affected by the environmental quality issues, (1) and “concerns about the environmental inequality led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency for Environmental Justice in 1992.” (1) The EPA is responsible for distributing and regulating the risks. (2) Since environmental Justice concerns where people work, live and play, it is also important for these people to be included in the decision making process.
The EPA regulates discharges of pollutants from municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants, sewer collection systems, and storm water discharges. Overflows of raw sewage and inefficiently controlled storm water discharges from sewer systems can end up in waterways or cause backups into city streets or basements threatening water quality. EPA also enforces requirements to make sure that industries pre-treat pollutants in their wastes in order to protect local sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment plants. The EPA investigates and inspects those discharging material into wetlands and other waters of the United States without proper permits. (Water Enforcement,
Acid rain is when chemicals like nitrogen and sulphur-dioxide are released into the atmosphere and react with the water vapour, and acid pours in form of rain. This is very dangerous because it destroys infrastructures and some buildings, and also dissolves the human
...tion and regular control programs for different types of waste-water discharge. The EPA supports all acts that could help save our reefs or to find the causes on why our reefs are disappearing.