ACID RAIN
When fossil fuels such as coal, gasoline, and fuel oils are burned, they emit
oxides of sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen into the air. These oxides combine with
moisture in the air to form sulfuric acid, carbonic acid, and nitric acid. When
it rains or snows, these acids are brought to Earth in what is called acid rain.
During the course of the 20th century, the acidity of the air and acid rain
have come to be recognized as a leading threat to the stability and quality of
the Earth's environment. Most of this acidity is produced in the industrialized
nations of the Northern Hemisphere--the United States, Canada, Japan, and most
of the countries of Eastern and Western Europe.
The effects of acid rain can be devastating to many forms of life, including
human life. Its effects can be most vividly seen, however, in lakes, rivers, and
streams and on vegetation. Acidity in water kills virtually all life forms. By
the early 1990s tens of thousands of lakes had been......
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