Includes bibliographical references (pages 190-204) and index.

Sulfuric showers. April acid. Nitric rainbow. These are nasty, toxic, corrosive laboratory names for what was once the universal symbol of natural purity. Robert Ostmann, Jr., an award-winning environmental reporter and metropolitan editor for the Register in Orange County, California, traces the spread of acid rain around the world and examines the causes and effects of acid precipitation based on the scientific evidence accumulated during more than a decade of study. He also presents interviews with pioneering acid rain researchers. Swedish scientist Svante Oden, known as the "Father of Acid Rain," said, "The problem of acid rain is economically enormous. It involves the whole structure of society. We have been living with a philosophy of emitting [acid-forming sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides] all the time and now see dimensions of the damage." In fact, acid rain has been cited as the cause of many kinds of damage. For example: While many lakes in the Adirondacks, southeastern Canada, Norway, and Sweden already have been rendered lifeless, scientists estimate that more than 50,000 lakes in the United States and Canada will be threatened within the next twenty years. Acid deposition poses a serious threat to human health. Recent studies have shown that airborne acid particles may be the cause of from 5 to 8 percent of all deaths in some parts of the United States. In addition, acidification can cause the leaching of such toxic metals as mercury into drinking water supplies and food fish stocks Many scientists are convinced that acid rains are likely to reduce the productivity of vital forests and croplands. In the United States alone, acid rain is believed to be the cause each year of at least5billion Dollars in damage to human-made objects, such as automobiles, buildings, and irreplaceable artwork. Acid precipitation is corroding the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument, the Parthenon, and the Taj Mahal. Acid rain is a direct result of energy production and motorized transportation - two of the most vital activities of an industrialized nation. In order to solve the problem before it is too late, the author concludes, formidable economic and political obstacles will have to be overcome. Canada has taken aggressive action to reduce acid-forming air pollution. The United States government, however, has shown little urgency in coming to grips with the existence and consequences of acid rain. Yet the technology exists which would remove the pollutants that cause acid rain, and many agree with the assessment of Robert Slater, former head of the Canadian Water Quality Board: "To delay taking action on this matter until all of the evidence is in... will simply result in our selling tickets to an autopsy." --