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What Types of Pollutants Mix With Air to Form Acid Rain?

Most rain is acidic, which means that the water has a pH level under seven. The average pH of normal rainwater is 5.6, so scientists define true acid rain as water with a pH lower than 5.6. You cannot detect acid rain without the aid of chemical tests, so you may have unknowingly experienced acid rain. The symptoms of acid rain include increased asthma sensitivity, fading paint on vehicles, ailing plants and suffering fish in ponds. Greater concentrations of acidity in the water causes more serious problems and increases the chemical deposits in the soil and ground water.

  1. Sulphur Dioxide

    • Sulphur dioxide is one of the most common pollutants that leads to acid rain. Vehicle exhaust, utility smokestacks and burning wood emits sulphur dioxide into the air. The sulphur dioxide rises to the clouds and mixes with the gaseous water there to create sulphuric acid. When the conditions are favorable for rain, the sulphuric acid rains down to the ground with the water. On the ground, the sulphur collects in the soil and leaches into the groundwater.

    Nitrogen Oxide

    • Nitrogen oxide is another common cause of acid rain. Similar to sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide enters the atmosphere from vehicle exhaust and burning fossil fuels. Nitrogen oxide combines with the water in the clouds to form nitric acid. The nitric acid in the water as it turns to rain lowers the pH of the rainwater. The more nitric acid present in the water, the lower the pH level will be. Highly acidic rain quickly changes the pH balance in ponds, streams and lakes, which can kill the plants, frogs, insects and fish.

    Cleanup

    • The United States government passed the Clean Air Act in 1963 to combat the air pollution problem that leads to acid rain. The goal of the act is to reduce the six most common air pollutants: ground-level ozone, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and lead. By 1970, the amount of these pollutants in the air was reduced 50 percent. The US government then updated the Clean Air Act with more stringent pollution controls and created the Environmental Protection Agency, which continuously monitors and adjusts emission standards to lower the amount of pollutants in the air.

    Testing

    • Test the acidity of your rainwater with a pH testing dipstick created to monitor pools and spas. Collect rainwater in a bowl and dip the stick into the water to see if the pH of the water is lower than the average 5.7. Test the acidity in your pool, spas and ponds after a rain shower to learn how rainwater affects the bodies of water around your home.

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