What chemicals make rain acidic and how does it happen?

With the growing industrialization and urbanization of the world, we are witnessing the repercussions of our energy wastage and release of harmful gases to the atmosphere. Pollution and acid rain are some of the ill-effects caused that affect our lives and destroy living matter all around us. The chemicals that make rain acidic are emitted from the industries spewing out these gases everyday but also the emissions from our automobiles and refrigerators, paints that are used and pesticides that use in our own homes.

Harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and various other compounds that are volatile are let out into the atmosphere every time we burn wooden material or volatile substances. Industries let out a large amount of polluting gases everyday. When these compounds have a reaction with the water found in the Earth’s atmosphere, it forms acids. There are other causes as well. When some compounds are split up or volcanoes spew out harmful compounds of sulphur, it results in acid rain.

Spreading awareness about the harmful effects of the chemicals largely used around us and reducing the amount of chemicals released into the atmosphere is a small step towards minimizing the occurrence of acid rain.