Toxic waste has many harmful effects on humans and also the environment, such as acid rain
TOXIC WASTE
ACID RAIN
BY BEAM PATANACHARAS
What is Acid Rain?
Acid rain is rain that has been made acidic by tons of pollutants in the air. Acid rain is a type of acid deposition which can appear in is many forms.
Wet deposition: is rain, sleet, snow, or fog that that has more acidic than normal.
Dry deposition: is when gas and dust particles become acidic.
Both wet and dry depositions are carried by the wind and sometime can go for very long distances. Then Acid deposition in wet and dry forms then falls on buildings, cars and tree and can make dead lakes (acid lakes). Acid rain deposition in dry forms can be inhaled by people and can cause health problems.
How acid rain causes
Acid rain is mostly caused by pollution that is in the air or natural gases from volcanoes. The gases release sulphur dioxide (SO2) and petrol from vehicle that release (NOx). Then mix with and reacts with water, oxygen, and other chemicals in the clouds and can form a weak acid. If the rain or snow falling from the polluted clouds is known as acid rain and can cause damage to buildings and people.
Acid rain and acid snow
There are 2 types of acid that are falling from clouds and known as Acid rain and Acid Snow.
Acid rain usually drops weak acid but sometimes it can be strong as vinegar.
When acid snow is melted it releases a huge amount of acid in one go.
The effects
Acid rain has terrible effects on forests. The weak acid takes important minerals from leaves and soil. Without these, the tree cannot grow properly and lose their leaves and become very weak. If they are weak they are unable to fight against fungi, disease, frost and insects. This can cause whole forests to die. Also it can affect building and statue.
Many countries like Britain, Germany and Poland have a lot of factories and Power Stations which release a huge amount of pollution into air. The pollution is carried by the air to other countries like Norway and Sweden. These countries are the most affected from acid rain. Pollution in American leads to acid rain in Canadian lakes and forest.
Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide causes problem to humans such as asthma, dry coughs, headaches, eye, and nose and throat irritation. Acid rain can also damage or irritate people’s lungs. It can also cause liver problems and give people diarrhoea. Acid rain is more dangerous to old people and people who have heart diseases or problems with their respiratory systems. It is dangerous for people who have problems with their respiratory system because the sulphur goes into the human body which damages cells, then damages their respiratory system. Acid rain also can affect humans because the acid goes into fruits, vegetables and animals. If people eat it they will get sick.
The following health problems occurred each year in the U.S. and Canada due to acid rain:
550 premature deaths
1,520 emergency room visits
210,070 asthma symptom days
What effect does acid rain do to sea water
Acid rains have worse effect in water than land because of the living things in it like fish and other sea life.
The fish and other sea life need water to breathe but when the acid rain falls into water it causes pollution and the fish get sick and end up dying.
All rain water contains some level of acidity. Acidity is measured by pH (potential of hydrogen). The pH scale measures the amount of acid in the substance. PH is measured from a scale from 0-14, with 7 being neutral if the lower number is on pH scale, the more acidic substance is. Normal rain water has pH 5.6 but if the pH of rain water goes below 5.6 it is considered acid rain. All the fish will die when the water goes below a pH of 4.5 and most frogs and insects near the water will also die when it reaches 4.5. All water shrimp will die when the pH reach 6.0 and aquatic plants will go as well between pH of 7.0 and 9.5.
Dead Lakes
A dead lake is a lake that is affect by acid rain. It may look clean and clear but contain no life. A lot of plants and animals cannot live in lakes that contain acid from acid rain. The fish are poisoned by the aluminum which is washed into the lake. Only lake Water beetle, blood worms, lilies, tubifex worms, rat tailed maggots, driving beetles and Sphagnum
Moss. Can only survive in dead lakes.
Acid rain from volcanoes
Most acid rain is caused by human activity but some acid rain comes from nature like volcanoes. Volcanoes releases smoke that contains water vapour, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen compounds. The sulphur dioxide and nitrogen compound causes small amount of acid rain near volcanoes.
What Can We Do?
There are many ways to stop pollution and you can do it almost anywhere.
· Only run the dish washer and washing machine with full loads
· Turn off television, computer, game console and other electrical items when you are not using them.
· Turn off the hot water tank when you will be gone for a long period of time
· Don’t turn on air conditioner too often
· Do not buy unnecessary electronic stuff
· Turn off appliances
· Try not to overflow petrol tank
· Make sure you travel at high speed when you need to
· Limit amount of long trips in your car
· Clean coal before it is burned as it will reduce the amount of sulphur burnt into the air
· Driving cars and trucks produce a lot nitrogen oxide which can cause acid rain. So use bikes or walk instead of driving a car to your nearest work place
· Buy equipment that use less electricity
· Turn off heat at night
· Plant trees because trees can absorb the polluted air and put out clean , fresh oxygen
· Buy a vehicle with low NOx emission
· For alternate fuels, try ethanol, propane, or natural gas
TOXIC WASTE
ACID RAIN
BY BEAM PATANACHARAS
What is Acid Rain?
Acid rain is rain that has been made acidic by tons of pollutants in the air. Acid rain is a type of acid deposition which can appear in is many forms.
Wet deposition: is rain, sleet, snow, or fog that that has more acidic than normal.
Dry deposition: is when gas and dust particles become acidic.
Both wet and dry depositions are carried by the wind and sometime can go for very long distances. Then Acid deposition in wet and dry forms then falls on buildings, cars and tree and can make dead lakes (acid lakes). Acid rain deposition in dry forms can be inhaled by people and can cause health problems.
How acid rain causes
Acid rain is mostly caused by pollution that is in the air or natural gases from volcanoes. The gases release sulphur dioxide (SO2) and petrol from vehicle that release (NOx). Then mix with and reacts with water, oxygen, and other chemicals in the clouds and can form a weak acid. If the rain or snow falling from the polluted clouds is known as acid rain and can cause damage to buildings and people.
Acid rain and acid snow
There are 2 types of acid that are falling from clouds and known as Acid rain and Acid Snow.
Acid rain usually drops weak acid but sometimes it can be strong as vinegar.
When acid snow is melted it releases a huge amount of acid in one go.
The effects
Acid rain has terrible effects on forests. The weak acid takes important minerals from leaves and soil. Without these, the tree cannot grow properly and lose their leaves and become very weak. If they are weak they are unable to fight against fungi, disease, frost and insects. This can cause whole forests to die. Also it can affect building and statue.
Many countries like Britain, Germany and Poland have a lot of factories and Power Stations which release a huge amount of pollution into air. The pollution is carried by the air to other countries like Norway and Sweden. These countries are the most affected from acid rain. Pollution in American leads to acid rain in Canadian lakes and forest.
Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide causes problem to humans such as asthma, dry coughs, headaches, eye, and nose and throat irritation. Acid rain can also damage or irritate people’s lungs. It can also cause liver problems and give people diarrhoea. Acid rain is more dangerous to old people and people who have heart diseases or problems with their respiratory systems. It is dangerous for people who have problems with their respiratory system because the sulphur goes into the human body which damages cells, then damages their respiratory system. Acid rain also can affect humans because the acid goes into fruits, vegetables and animals. If people eat it they will get sick.
The following health problems occurred each year in the U.S. and Canada due to acid rain:
550 premature deaths
1,520 emergency room visits
210,070 asthma symptom days
What effect does acid rain do to sea water
Acid rains have worse effect in water than land because of the living things in it like fish and other sea life.
The fish and other sea life need water to breathe but when the acid rain falls into water it causes pollution and the fish get sick and end up dying.
All rain water contains some level of acidity. Acidity is measured by pH (potential of hydrogen). The pH scale measures the amount of acid in the substance. PH is measured from a scale from 0-14, with 7 being neutral if the lower number is on pH scale, the more acidic substance is. Normal rain water has pH 5.6 but if the pH of rain water goes below 5.6 it is considered acid rain. All the fish will die when the water goes below a pH of 4.5 and most frogs and insects near the water will also die when it reaches 4.5. All water shrimp will die when the pH reach 6.0 and aquatic plants will go as well between pH of 7.0 and 9.5.
Dead Lakes
A dead lake is a lake that is affect by acid rain. It may look clean and clear but contain no life. A lot of plants and animals cannot live in lakes that contain acid from acid rain. The fish are poisoned by the aluminum which is washed into the lake. Only lake Water beetle, blood worms, lilies, tubifex worms, rat tailed maggots, driving beetles and Sphagnum
Moss. Can only survive in dead lakes.
Acid rain from volcanoes
Most acid rain is caused by human activity but some acid rain comes from nature like volcanoes. Volcanoes releases smoke that contains water vapour, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen compounds. The sulphur dioxide and nitrogen compound causes small amount of acid rain near volcanoes.
What Can We Do?
There are many ways to stop pollution and you can do it almost anywhere.
· Only run the dish washer and washing machine with full loads
· Turn off television, computer, game console and other electrical items when you are not using them.
· Turn off the hot water tank when you will be gone for a long period of time
· Don’t turn on air conditioner too often
· Do not buy unnecessary electronic stuff
· Turn off appliances
· Try not to overflow petrol tank
· Make sure you travel at high speed when you need to
· Limit amount of long trips in your car
· Clean coal before it is burned as it will reduce the amount of sulphur burnt into the air
· Driving cars and trucks produce a lot nitrogen oxide which can cause acid rain. So use bikes or walk instead of driving a car to your nearest work place
· Buy equipment that use less electricity
· Turn off heat at night
· Plant trees because trees can absorb the polluted air and put out clean , fresh oxygen
· Buy a vehicle with low NOx emission
· For alternate fuels, try ethanol, propane, or natural gas