An atmospheric issue I decided to write on was acid rain. According to air-quality.org sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides both combine with water in the atmosphere to create acid rain. Acid rain makes the soil acidic wherever the rainfall falls. This rain kills off plants, it can cause them severe damage as well. Forest decline is often the first sign that trees are in trouble due to air pollution. Scientists believe that acidic water dissolves the nutrients and helpful minerals in the soil and then washes them away before the trees and other plants can use them to grow. At the same time, the acid rain causes the release of toxic substances such as aluminum into the soil. This causes a lot of damage to the trees, plants and soil even if it’s just a little bit. This pollution can run off the plants as well into streams, rivers and lakes.
When plants are infected with acid rain, they become more vulnerable to diseases and become weaker for insects to kill them easily as well.
Sulphur dioxide which is one of the main components in acid rain, directly affects vegetation. One way to tell is the physical appearance of vegetation. You can tell from the leaves of the plants by the difference between the green base and the bright orange red tips.
Acid deposition has increased significantly in the past 50 years in Asia, Europe and the US showing forest/tree declines and increased mortality.
Different countries are taking their own measures by trying to decrease air pollution and what is thrown into the water systems.
The indoor pollutant that I chose is pesticides. According to the EPA website 75% of US households use at least one pesticide product indoors. Pesticides include insecticides, termimiticides that treats termites, rodenticides, fungicides, and household disinfectants. These forms of pesticides are sold as sprays, liquids, sticks, powders, crystals, balls and foggers. In 1990, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reported that some 79,000 children were involved in common household pesticide poisonings and or exposure (www.epa.gov/iaq/pesticide.html). EPA registers pesticides for use and puts the
