Acid Rain

Damage to Fish, Crops, Forests and Health

Little known except among experts just a decade ago, acid rain has emerged as an important and exceptionally challenging environmental problem. Certain substances, primarily sulfur and nitrogen compounds emitted by power plants and smelters, can combine with moisture in the atmosphere or on the surface of the earth to form droplets with a high acid content — sometimes as acidic as vinegar. Though the term “acid rain” has captured the public's imagination, it actually understates the problem. Acid precipitation includes not only rain but also acidified snow, hail and frost, as well as sulfur and nitrogen dust. When sufficiently concentrated, these acids can kill fish and damage material structures. Under certain circumstances they may reduce crop ...