Acid Rain

What is Acid rain? Acid rain is rain that contains acid in it. This rain can be harmful to plants,animals and also infrastructures. Acid rain is caused by sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. They react with water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids. 

What are the causes of the 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 (see picture #1 for an example). 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 these days.

(Image #1)

The truth is that we are the cause of the acid rain. Over the past few decades, people 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 were and still are the causes of acid rain. 
What can the acid rain do to the environment? It its so strong that it can damage forests, poison the waters and destroy beautiful sculptures or statues (see images below)
(Image #2)
This picture shows a sculpture of what appears to be a gargoyle that has changed after the acid rain passed. As you can see it has lost its eyes and the top f its head has changed color as well.
(Image #3)
This picture shows a forest with trees that have no leaves on them or pines or branches (some of them have but a little). This is because of the acid rain.
Not only can acid rain damage sculpture, poison the waters or kill trees but it can also affect us. Acid rain feels like and even tastes like clean rain. Walking in acid rain, or even swimming in an acid lake, is no more dangerous than walking or swimming in clean water. The reason why acid rain can hurt people is because acid rain contains sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) which can do damage to our health (see image #4 below).
(Image #4)
This is what it looks like when someone gets his/her skin covered by acid rain.
Luckily, there is a way to treat a person when his life is in danger.
1. The most important First Aid is to immediately wash affected body part of patient with plenty of fresh or saline water (saline water is also known as salt water if you didn't know).
2. Don’t rinse the burn area with dirty water as it can cause severe infection.
3. Keep flushing the affected burn area with plenty of cool water,(not very cold) until the patient’s burning sensation starts fading. It may take 30-45 minutes.
4. Remove all the jewelry or clothing which had contact with acid.
5. Don’t apply any kind of cream, ointment on the affected area as it may slow the treatment procedure by doctors.
6. If possible, use sterilized gauze (a medical supply that is used to protect the wound.) to loosely wrap the affected area. The gauze protects the skin from air, debris, dirt and contamination.

Facts about acid rain that you probably don'y know about:

1. In North America 30 percent of acid rain is caused by nitric oxides-half of which comes from motor vehicle exhausts. The other half comes from the burning of fossil fuels, mainly coal, by electric utilities and other industries.
2. Particularly tragic is springtime, when life stirs from its winter sleep, when fish are being hatched and frogs and salamanders lay their eggs in melt water pools. The concentration of pollution in the melting snow often increases the acidity a hundredfold, preventing more than 80 percent of the eggs from hatching.
3. Acid rain can damage your skin but it cannot rot your skin. It usually doesn't taste or smell any different than normal rain. Also it can damage the paint on a car but doesn't melt the car.
4. Not only can acid rain be produced from coal but also from volcanic eruptions and from rotting plants.
5.  Acid rain can be neutralized the same way as acid can be. In some environments acid rain is more problematic. For instance, Eastern Canada lacks a natural alkalinity. Lime is able to neutralize acid, but there is no lime in the ground in some areas and because of this the acid rain is able to do more damage.

So In conclusion, acid rain is very dangerous to us and also to the environment. Many lives are lost because of it, but they are lost because of us. We are hurting not only our planet but also ourselves. 

Here are the websites I have used to write this blog:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_rain
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/education/site_students/whatcauses.html
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/
http://www.stopacidattacks.org/p/medical.html
http://www.softschools.com/facts/weather/acid_rain_facts/575/
http://www.amazingandweird.com/facts/10-interesting-facts-about-acid-rain-you-never-knew/
And also google images for the pictures that you have seen.