Acid Rain is Caused by Reactions in the Environment

Nature depends on balance, and although some rain is naturally acidic, with a pH level of around
5.0, human activities have made it worse. Normal precipitation—such as rain, sleet, or snow—
reacts with alkaline chemicals, or non-acidic materials, that can be found in air, soils, bedrock,
lakes, and streams. These reactions usually neutralize natural acids. However, if precipitation
becomes too acidic, these materials may not be able to neutralize all of the acids. Over time,
these neutralizing materials can be washed away by acid rain. Damage to crops, trees, lakes,
rivers, and animals can result.

The causes of acid rain can be both natural and man-made. Both volcanoes and decaying
vegetation release gases that result in the formation of acid rain. However, the majority of gases
come from man-made sources, such as fossil fuel combustion.

The level of acidity can be determined using high-tech devices or using litmus paper. When
litmus paper is exposed to a substance, it changes color depending on the acidity: red for acidic,
blue for basic, and a variety of colors for anything in between.

Effects of Acid Rain

Overall, the environment and its inhabitants are adapted to survive within a certain acidity level.
When acid rain falls, it can dramatically alter the acidity level of the habitat and cause a great
deal of damage to the living and non-living things within.

Acid rain can negatively affect human health by creating particles in the air that can cause
respiratory problems or make breathing more difficult. Acid rain can also cause building
materials to decay more rapidly and paint more likely to peel. The acidity also wears down stone
statues, making them appear older and reducing their value.

Sources of Acid Rain

Acid rain is caused by a chemical reaction that begins when compounds like sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxides are released into the air. These substances can rise very high into the atmosphere,
where they mix and react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form more acidic
pollutants, known as acid rain. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides dissolve very easily in water
and can be carried very far by the wind. As a result, the two compounds can travel long distances
where they become part of the rain, sleet, snow, and fog that we experience on certain days.
Human activities are the main cause of acid rain. Over the past few decades, humans have
released so many different chemicals into the air that they have changed the mix of gases in the
atmosphere. Power plants release the majority of sulfur dioxide and much of the nitrogen oxides
when they burn fossil fuels, such as coal, to produce electricity. In addition, the exhaust from
cars, trucks, and buses releases nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide into the air. These pollutants
cause acid rain.

Measurement of Acid Rain

We use the pH scale to measure acid rain. The pH scale measures how acidic a substance is. It
runs from 0 to 14; 0 is the most acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is the most basic. Although pure water
is known to have a pH of 7, normal rainwater has a slightly more acidic pH of around 5.6. This
pH level is due to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that dissolves into a weak carbonic acid.
Acid rain has an average pH of 4.2 to 4.4, which is almost ten times more acidic than normal rain