Rain is naturally acidic because carbon dioxide, found normally in the earth's atmosphere, reacts with water to form carbonic acid. While "pure" rain's acidity is pH 5.6-5.7, actual pH readings vary from place to place depending upon the type and amount of other gases present in the air, such as sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxides.

The term pH refers to the free hydrogen ions (electrically charged atoms) in water and is measured on a scale from 0 to 14. Seven is considered neutral and measurements below seven are acidic while those above it are basic or alkaline. Every point on the pH scale represents a tenfold increase over the previous number. Thus, pH 4 is 10 times more acidic than pH 5 and 100 times more so than pH 6. Similarly, pH 9 is 1O times more basic than pH

8 and 100 times more basic than pH 7.

The acid in acid rain comes from two kinds of air pollutants-- sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). These are emitted primarily from utility and smelter "smokestacks" and automobile, truck and bus exhausts, but they also come from burning wood.

Toxic metals such as lead, zinc, copper, chromium and aluminum are deposited in the forest from the atmosphere. The acid rain releases these metals and they stunt the growth of trees and other plants and also that of mosses, algae, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and fungi needed for forest growth.

On one hand you have the people who feel that the government is just playing a political game. They stomped on getting rid of sulfur but what about the other items that cause acid rain. Then you have the other side that states the two main ingredients of coal smoke are particulate and sulfur, which causes 500,000 premature death each year and millions of new respiratory illnesses. Particulates penetrate deep into lungs. Prolonged inhalation causes a range of respiratory and cardiovascular problems, such as emphysema, asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer and heart disease.

When these pollutants reach the atmosphere they combine with gaseous water in clouds and change to acids--sulphuric acid and nitric acid. Then, rain and snow wash these acids f

Some topics in this essay:
, Illinois People, Air Act, acid rain, toxic metals, southern illinois, coal industry, illinois coal, times basic ph, Clean Air, air act, aquatic life, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen ions, clean air act, nutrient leaching,