About Acid Rain Prevention

Preventing Pollution

• The U.S. government has passed laws and mandates requiring manufacturers, mining companies and other industries to curb the pollutants being produced from their businesses. Policies require devices known as scrubbers on power plant smokestacks to reduce the pollutants being released into the air. Federal regulators have identified even personal pollutants. Devices known as catalytic converters were required on cars beginning in the 1990s. The converters reduce the emissions created by automobiles. Another method being used to prevent air pollution is to award companies for converting plants to renewable energy that does not create the pollutants that fossil fuels do.

Acid Rain Damage

• The sulfuric and nitric acids in acid rain are diluted version of these chemical, but they can still cause damage. Over time, the acids eat away at the metal, brick and other materials used to create buildings, bridges, monuments, homes, cars and other structures that remain unprotected from the rain. The acid eats away at these structures, causing discoloration, pits and holes. Eventually, a structure can become too weak to stand alone and must be repaired.

Prevent Personal Damage

• Automobiles today have been treated with acid rain resistant materials so the rain doesn't destroy them as quickly. Even so, automakers such as Toyota recommend frequent car washes to rinse away the chemicals deposited by acid rain. Allowing them to build up actually increases the damage from the acid rain. The company recommends four washes per week during the hot summer months and at least once a week during the rest of the year. Building can be inspected and the damage treated before it causes deterioration

Considerations

• Acid rain is a problem in urban areas with heavy traffic and industrial areas. Rural areas are also affected by acid rain created in cities hundreds of miles away. The damage isn't as extensive but must be treated in order to prevent damage over time.