Acid Rain

Acid Rain Backgrounder Purpose of this file: To provide a primer on acid rain for environmental journalists. Copyright 1994. Acid rain refers to all types of precipitation--rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog--that is acidic in nature. Acidic means that these forms of water have a pH lower than the 5.6 average of rainwater. Acid rain kills aquatic life, trees, crops and other vegetation, damages buildings and monuments, corrodes copper and lead piping, damages such man-made things as automobiles, …

…is to reduce emissions at their point of origin. Anyone investigating acid rain should update these figures. Environmental analyst and writer Sandra Postel of Worldwatch Institute says: "Forest effects do not stop at the forest boundary, but ripple to groundwater, streams and lakes which receive acids and metals that break from the forest cycle. Humanity's intimate connection to these forest systems ensures that it will not escape feeling the effects of their demise" (Postel). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------