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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1987

Acid rain: effects on arachidonic acid metabolism in perfused and ventilated guinea-pig lung.

Isolated, perfused and ventilated guinea-pig lungs were exposed for 10 min to acid (sulphuric + nitric acid) aerosol mimicking acid rain at pH 4.5 or 2.5, as well as to a control distilled water aerosol (pH 6.0-6.5). Lung perfusing solution was recovered and thromboxane (TX) B2 and leukotriene (LT) B4 were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) techniques. In a series of experiments TXB2 release averaged 0.43 +/- 0.18 (+/- SD) ng/min during exposure to distilled water aerosol and increased to 0.70 +/- 0.30 ng/min during exposure to acid aerosol at pH 4.5 (P less than 0.05). In a second series of experiments TXB2 release was 0.46 +/- 0.18 ng/min and increased to 1.07 +/- 0.51 ng/min (P less than 0.01) after acid aerosol at pH 2.5. In both cases LTB4 release, reflecting lipoxygenase activity, was unchanged. LTC4 levels were not measurable under basal conditions as well as after exposure to acid aerosol. A pneumoconstriction was also observed, being more pronounced after acid aerosol at pH 2.5. Individual sulphuric and nitric acid aerosol component solutions at pH 2.5 evoked TXB2 and airway resistance changes corresponding to those observed with the mixed acid aerosol. LTB4 was not modified. Acid rain inhalation may directly stimulate pathways leading to the bronchoconstrictor and pro-aggregating TXA2 synthesis in isolated guinea-pig lung, without affecting the lipoxygenase pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1988

Modeling estimates of the effect of acid rain on background radiation dose.

Acid rain causes accelerated mobilization of many materials in soils. Natural and anthropogenic radionuclides, especially 226Ra and 137Cs, are among these materials. Okamoto is apparently the only researcher to date who has attempted to quantify the effect of acid rain on the "background" radiation dose to man. He estimated an increase in dose by a factor of 1.3 following a decrease in soil pH of 1 unit. We reviewed literature that described the effects of changes in pH on mobility and plant uptake of Ra and Cs. Generally, a decrease in soil pH by 1 unit will increase mobility and plant uptake by factors of 2 to 7. Thus, Okamoto's dose estimate may be too low. We applied several simulation models to confirm Okamoto's ideas, with most emphasis on an atmospherically driven soil model that predicts water and nuclide flow through a soil profile. We modeled a typical, acid-rain sensitive soil using meteorological data from Geraldton, Ontario. The results, within the range of effects on the soil expected from acidification, showed essentially direct proportionality between the mobility of the nuclides and dose. This supports some of the assumptions invoked by Okamoto. We conclude that a decrease in pH of 1 unit may increase the mobility of Ra and Cs by a factor of 2 or more. Our models predict that this will lead to similar increases in plant uptake and radiological dose to man. Although health effects following such a small increase in dose have not been statistically demonstrated, any increase in dose is probably undesirable.

Background Radiation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Acid rain: what we know, what we did, what we will do.

This paper reviews the involvement of the Canadian province of Ontario in the acid rain issue. Ontario is a major producer of acid gas emissions and suffers significant environmental consequences because of acid rain. The province's substantial contribution to the scientific understanding of acid rain is summarized with emphasis on the extent and origins of the deposition it receives, the impact on the aquatic environment, and the impact on the terrestrial environment. This paper discusses the history of the government's success at reducing acid gas emissions through the 1970's when legislators set out to enhance local or "ambient" air quality, the first legislation to require SO2 reductions from companies already in compliance with ambient air quality legislation, and the current Countdown Acid Rain program which reduces SO2 emission limits by 67%. The process used to establish the tough new limits while reasonably anticipating the development of SO2 control technologies is detailed along with the specific requirements of the major emitters controlled by the regulations. Projections confirm that while the Countdown reductions will bring about significant reductions in deposition, adequate environmental protection in Canada cannot be achieved without some comparable U.S. acid gas abatement effort.

Acid Rain↗
PubMed1991

Weiss lecture. Applications of the radiation chemistry of water: acid rain and nuclear power.

The radiation chemistry of water is sufficiently well known under ambient conditions that it is widely used to study the chemistry of free radicals in aqueous solution. One topical application described here is the hydroxyl radical-driven oxidation of sulphur dioxide to sulphuric acid in cloudwater to form acid rain. Another area of current interest is the effects of radiation on the cooling water of pressurized water reactors at ca. 300 degrees C. In studying these effects new information is also being gained on the fundamental processes in the radiation chemistry of water and on the kinetics of fast reactions.

Acid Rain↗
PubMed1990

Acid rain.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Acid Rain↗
PubMed1988

Flow cytometric measurement of pollutant stresses on algal cells.

The lichen Usnea fulvoreagens (Räs). Räs. was treated with four pH levels (5.5, 4.5, 3.5, and 2.5) of simulated acid rain (sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and a 1:1 combination of both) and automobile exhaust. The samples were dissociated and analyzed by a Becton-Dickinson FACS 440 flow cytometer. Analyses included measurement of chlorophyll autofluorescence and fluorescence due to uptake of fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and calcofluor white M2R (CFW). Cell parameters measured were esterase activity (FDA), membrane permeability (FDA, CFW), and intracellular pH (FDA). Mean fluorescence intensity from FDA staining and numbers of events were incorporated with autofluorescence information to produce a "stress index" of relative cell stress. Results indicated that highly stressed samples (lower pH treatments and greater exposure to exhaust) exhibited a low "stress index" of FDA fluorescence.

Cell Separation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Acid fog: hygiene and health observations correlated with an aspect of atmospheric pollution].

In the last years the interest about acid depositions has been shifted to heterogeneous phase reactions and, particularly, to occult precipitations (fog, mist, ecc.). It is very improbable that some kind of human health hazards could derive from acid rain exposure. Instead, the human exposure to acid fog could represent a possible respiratory vehicle for the assumption of acid pollutants as well as of many other pollutants. This last assertion can be supported by the following considerations: 1) Fog may represent an important chemical reactor that can modify the nature of pollutant material in the atmosphere (acidification and other events). 2) Fog is formed near the ground where pollution sources are located so that pollution is the heaviest. The fog water droplets coalesce around preexisting aerosol which is most highly concentrated near the ground (cities and industrial areas). Since fog water droplets contain muc less water than rain drops, they do not dilute the acidity as much as rain. 3) Finally, fog is partially inhalable. In certain areas of the world, wet deposition by fog can be important to the human health, even if the acqueous concentrations of fog droplets, the acidity per volume of air and the acid deposition rate are all important factors to consider. Particularly the pH of fog does not tell the whole story, but it represents a sufficient information about the severity of the atmospheric situation that can be correlated to seriousness of human risk.

Acid Rain↗