Acid Rain and Its Health Effects

Introduction:

Scottish chemist Robert Angus Smith first used the term ‘acid rain’ in 1852. While researching the chemistry of rainwater around industrial centers in England and Scotland, Smith came up with the name. Acid rain can cause lakes to become acidic and fall on objects like automobiles, trees, and buildings. Some people may experience health issues if they breathe in dry acid deposits.

What Is Acid Rain?

Acid rain is a general phrase that refers to any type of precipitation that contains acidic elements, such as sulfuric acid or nitric acid. The definition of precipitation encompasses dust, gasses, rain, snow, fog, and hail; it does not require that it be wet or liquid. Wet deposition refers to the type of acid rain that incorporates water. Dry deposition is the name for acid rain, which is created from dust or gasses. Acid rain is also referred to as acid deposition.

What Is Acidity?

Chemical compounds can be categorized as acidic or basic. Utilizing a pH scale, acidity is quantified. There is a pH scale from 0 (the most acidic) to 14 (the most basic or alkaline). ‘Neutral’ is a substance with a pH of 7 and is neither basic nor acidic.

What Are the Causes of Acid Rain?

• Sulfur and nitrogen particles that mix with the wet elements of rain are the main contributors to acid rain.

• The particles of sulfur and nitrogen that mix with water can come from two sources: either artificial emissions from industries or natural events like lightning strikes that release nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxide into the atmosphere.

• Along with the dust particles, the wind also blows away the nitrogen and sulfur oxides.

• When oxygen, water, and other substances in the air combine with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, a chemical reaction occurs. Then, they transform into nitric and sulfuric acids, which combine with precipitation and fall to the ground.

• In essence, acid rain is a byproduct of human activities that release nitrogen and sulfur oxides into the atmosphere. Examples include the combustion of fossil fuels and unethical methods of removing waste.

What Effects Do Air Pollutants Precursor to Acid Rain Have on People?

The contaminants that generate acid rain, rather than the acid rain, have the most detrimental consequences on human health. Some of the negative impacts on human health are as follows.

• Lung-Related Problems:

  • Severe lung problems can be brought on by breathing in the pollutants that generate acid rain.

  • Nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide primarily cause acid rain. Both can interact with the atmosphere to produce tiny sulfate and nitrate particles. If people are exposed to them in high amounts or repeatedly at low doses over time, they may have detrimental effects on their health.

  • Since these particles are so small, people may easily breathe them in, and they will enter their lungs deeply. Such particles can readily find their way into the indoor environment as well.

  • Serious health issues have been related to these kind of tiny particles.

  • Numerous scientific investigations have demonstrated a strong association between high levels of these tiny particles and increased illness and early mortality from lung diseases like bronchitis (inflammation of the lining of bronchial tubes) and asthma nine affects the airway in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe).

• Heart-Related Problems:

  • Nitrate and sulfate compounds and nitrous and sulfur dioxides can also bring on serious cardiac disease. Numerous studies have linked sulfur dioxide to increased cardiovascular disorders like ischemic heart disease (narrowing blood vessels in the heart and causing poor blood supply to the heart muscle), heart failure, and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) in humans and animals.

  • Sulfates are present naturally and frequently found in clean water. They can help enhance water’s flavor and other salts and minerals frequently dissolving in drinking water. High sulfate levels have been associated with laxative or even diarrheal effects, which ironically might lead to dehydration.

  • Serious illnesses have also been linked to exposure to excessive nitrate concentrations in drinking water. Nitrate becomes nitrite inside the body, interfering with blood's oxygen absorption. Breathing difficulty and bluish skin are two symptoms that can happen quickly.

What Are the Health Effects After the Post-Deposition Stage of Acid Rain?

The post-depositional stage of acid rain involves several steps, so the potential health effects from changes during this stage are sometimes referred to as indirect effects. The post depositional stage involves several stages, such as the movement of metals from generally fixed places, such as sores and insoluble deposits, to mediums that facilitate human exposure, like water and food. Metals are the most affected substances, including cadmium, mercury, and aluminum. Acid rain in the post-deposition stage may affect human exposure to harmful chemicals through two main routes:

1. Chemical accumulation in food chains.

2. Water contamination.

How Does Mercury Affect Human Health?

• Acidification enhances the conversion of mercury to methylmercury, which builds up in fish and raises the possibility of risk in those who consume fish.

• The initial side effects include nonspecific complaints of paresthesia (burning or prickling sensation in hands, legs, and feet), drowsiness, and blurred vision.

• Deafness, dysarthria (improper articulation of speech), ataxia (loss of control of the body), and intense visual field restriction are some symptoms that follow.

• Each symptom recovers to some extent in less severe cases; this is assumed to be a functional recovery that depends on the central nervous system's compensating function.

How Does Cadmium Affect Human Health?

• Research shows kidney disease is the primary adverse effect of long-term low-level exposure to cadmium. Although cadmium exposure through inhalation is known to cause lung disease and possibly lung cancer, potential exposure through ingestion rather than inhalation is more likely to result in cadmium accumulation in the body.

• At least two routes are considered for the long-term effects of acid precipitation on human exposure to cadmium.

• The slightly acidic water used in plumbing systems can mobilize cadmium from copper piping's solder junctions.

• The mobilization of cadmium from crop soils treated with cadmium-containing phosphate fertilizer into various crops may pose a potentially greater concern because of the long-term effects of acid precipitation on such lands.

How Does Aluminum Affect Human Health?

• Among the impacts of acid rain are increased levels of aluminum in the lakes and rivers due to the solubilization of considerable amounts of aluminum from the soil.

• It can cause certain disorders in patients with long-standing kidney disease.

• The most common condition is dialysis encephalopathy.

• This illness is characterized by progressive speech disturbance, dementia (impaired ability to think, remember, or make decisions), and convulsions.

• The brain tissues and bones of affected patients exhibit noticeably higher levels of aluminum.

What Are the Ways to Prevent Acid Rain?

There are numerous ways to stop acid rain created by humans. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), regulating emissions from buildings and automobiles is a crucial first step. It is accomplished by limiting fossil fuel use and emphasizing renewable energy sources like solar and wind power.

Conclusion:

Pollutants in the air cause acid rain. Acid rain indirectly affects human health in the pre-deposition and post-deposition stages. Simple steps like reduced use of fossil fuels, an alternate mode of transportation, and energy conservation prevent acid rain.