23/07/2019

• LONG-TERM HEALTH PROBLEMS

• SMOG
• INCREASE IN PARTICULATE MATTER
• ACID RAIN
 RAINFALL MADE SO ACIDIC BY ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
THAT IT CAUSES ENVIRONMENTAL HARM, CHIEFLY TO FORESTS
AND LAKES. THE MAIN CAUSE IS THE INDUSTRIAL BURNING OF
COAL AND OTHER FOSSIL FUELS, THE WASTE GASES FROM WHICH
CONTAIN SULPHUR AND NITROGEN OXIDES WHICH COMBINE
WITH ATMOSPHERIC WATER TO FORM ACIDS.
• FORMATION OF ACID RAIN USUALLY OCCURS HIGH IN THE CLOUDS.
• NITROGEN OXIDES AND SULPHUR DIOXIDE REACT WITH THE TINY DROPLETS OF
WATER IN CLOUDS TO FORM SULPHURIC AND NITRIC ACIDS. THE RAIN FROM
THESE CLOUDS THEN FALLS AS VERY WEAK (DILUTE) ACID - WHICH IS WHY IT IS
KNOWN AS "ACID RAIN“.
• 2SO2+O2= SO3|||||SO3+H2O=H2SO4
[OXIDATION] [ACID FORMATION]
• NO+O2= NO2|||||NO2+ H2O= HNO3
• P H OF ACID RAIN = 4.0 CONCENTRATION OF SULPHUR:

• P H OF NORMAL RAIN = 5.0 TO IN CONCENTRATED SULPHURIC

5.5 OR 5.6 ACID: 1870PPM

• P H OF SEVERE ACID RAIN = 2.0 IN ACID RAIN: 0.1 PPM TO 2 PPM

“NORMAL” RAINFALL IS SLIGHTLY ACIDIC BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF

DISSOLVED CARBONIC ACID. CARBONIC ACID IS THE SAME AS THAT FOUND
IN SODA POP.
• DESTRUCTION TO HISTORIC MONUMENTS AND SCULPTURAL ARTWORKS

• IMBALANCING THE ACIDITY OF LAKES AND PONDS

• REDUCING THE POSSIBILITY OF PLANT GROWTH

• RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS IN HUMANS

 Necrosis

1908 1968
GERMANY Chlorosis
 CaCO3 + H2SO4 = CaSO4 + H2O + CO2
CaCO3 + 2HNO3 = Ca(NO3)2 + H2O + CO2
• REDUCING INDUSTRIAL EMISSIONS

• REDUCING OVERUSAGE OF VEHICLES

• PROMOTING AND EMBRACING RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
• SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN REDUCING SOX EMISSIONS HAS BEEN MADE BY MANY
COUNTRIES; EEA-33 EMISSIONS OF SOX HAVE DECREASED BY 74% BETWEEN 1990
AND 2011 EXCEPT ICELAND (3.8 TIMES GREATER) AND TURKEY (52% GREATER).

• LAKES AND RIVERS CAN HAVE POWDERED LIMESTONE ADDED TO THEM TO

NEUTRALISE THE WATER - THIS IS CALLED "LIMING". LIMING, HOWEVER, IS
EXPENSIVE AND ITS EFFECTS ARE ONLY TEMPORARY - IT NEEDS TO BE
CONTINUED UNTIL THE ACID RAIN STOPS. THE PEOPLE OF NORWAY AND
SWEDEN HAVE SUCCESSFULLY USED LIMING TO HELP RESTORE LAKES AND
STREAMS IN THEIR COUNTRIES. A MAJOR LIMING PROGRAMME IS CURRENTLY
TAKING PLACE IN WALES.
AIR PURIFYING TOWERS
• Based on images taken by the Aura satellite between 2005 and
2012, says that SO2 emissions from India’s thermal power plants
has gone up by a whopping 71 per cent from what it was in
2005. The rapid rise in demand for power and the absence of
regulations are seen as the reasons behind the drastic rise.

• India's emissions of the air pollutant sulphur dioxide increased by

50 per cent since 2007(2017 report), while China’s fell by 72
percent.
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