C32—Lancaster Firming, Saturday, March 29,1980
Spread of acid rain burns farms , fish, buildings 9
BY BARBARA S. MOFFET
National Geographic News
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Those sweet spring showers
and pure fluffy snowfalls
turn out not to be so sweet
and pure after all In fact,
some ram and snow are
downright filthy.
High in the sky, before
falling to earth, ram and
Confined to a lew states in 1955-56, acid precipitation's range grew drastical
ly in two decades. The map's outlined areas represent regions receiving
precipitation at least 10 times as acidic as unpolluted rain or snow. Acid rain has
been detected as far west as Los Angeles and Seattle, but most of it falls to earth
in the East after being carried by prevailing winds.
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snow often mix with
pollutants mainly sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxide
and through a series of
chemical changes become
acidic
By the time it reaches
earth, the stuff farmers and
skiers are calling a godsend
scientists are calling “acid
precipitation ” Some rain
and snow that have made
their way to earth in recent
years in this country have
been almost as acidic as
vinegar, and the acid
precipitation problem seems
to be spreading.
About 50 million metric
tons of sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxide are spewed
into the air every year in the
United States, as byproducts
of fossil fuel combustion Car
engines, home furnaces,
coal-burning power plants,
and smelters all contribute
As the use of coal in
creases, these pollutants
could intensify, an idea that
worries scientists because
they really don’t know how
the pollutants travel or what
happens after they come
down
Many do believe that acid
precipitation can wipe the
fish from lakes, corrode
buildings and statues, leach
UNDERGROUND LIQUID MANURE SYSTEMS
minerals from soil, and
possibly slow tree growth,
damage crops, and taint
drinking water
“The phenomenon of
rather direct damage caused
by what once was thought to
be pristine rain and snow is
appalling,” said Dr Kenneth
J Hood of the Council on
Environmental Quality
“Acid sprinkled all over the
land just doesn’t sound good
But what we all agree on
is that we don’t know exactly
what kind or how much
damage acid rain is doing ’ ’
Hood is being paid to try to
find out He is executive
secretary of the Acid Rain
Coordination Commiteee,
set up last year by President
Carter to manage a 10-year
research effort. Ten million
dollars is budgeted for
several government
agencies in their first year of
tackling the problem
Researchers already know
that almost 200 lakes in New
York’s Adirondack Moun
tains that once drew
(Turn to Page C 33)