Allergies and respiratory disease
But what about the health effects of acid rain? Dr. Lin Ja-liang, head of toxicology at Linkou's Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, says that most people think acid rain's health effects are limited to hair loss, but this is only half true. The acidic materials in acid rain can indeed irritate skin, making immune responses such as allergic itching and inflammation more severe. If this inflammation occurs on the scalp, it can damage the skin and even lead to hair loss.
"But in reality few people, other than adolescents who can't be bothered, fail to use an umbrella when it rains," says Lin. "Consequently, acid raid does relatively little direct harm to people's health."
Of more concern is that areas where acid rain is more frequent typically have higher levels of atmospheric sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides. The former can cause asthma and inflammation in the trachea and bronchioles, while the latter breaks down in sunlight to form ozone, a powerful oxidant that is both toxic and very reactive. Ozone not only attacks and inflames the respiratory tract, but also impairs the lungs' ability to exchange gasses, reducing oxygen levels in the blood. In severe cases, it can even lead to emphysema or other forms of severe lung damage.
"Whether it rains or not, on days when atmospheric concentrations of sulfur oxides or nitrogen oxides are high, the elderly, children, and people who suffer from cardiovascular disease should avoid going outdoors," says Lin. "And if they really must go out, they should wear a mask to reduce the damage."
Scholars also remind people to be wary of "acid fog." Because the water droplets in fog are smaller, the acid in them tends to be more concentrated and of a lower pH.
London's Great Smog of December 1952 was caused by the carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, and soot released by the burning of large amounts of coal within the city. A series of several windless days allowed the pollutants to accumulate and with the fog droplets to form a toxic smog with a pH of just 1.6, a level that made it almost as corrosive as sulfuric acid. The smog resulted in severe respiratory problems for thousands of Londoners, killing some 4,000 people over just four days and another 8,000-plus over the following two months.
A "romantic" crisis
Though Taiwan hasn't experienced such a terrible acid fog, years of surveys have shown that acid fogs in the mountains really are much more acidic than acid rains. For example, Lin Neng-huei's research team has gathered samples of acid fog in the Yangmingshan area with a pH of just 2.6. (For comparison, Coca-Cola has a pH of 2.5.) And Lin Teng-chiu's research team has similarly collected samples of acid fog with a pH of 3.8 in the mountainous Xitou area of Nantou County, a popular tourist destination.
Lin Neng-huei, Lin Teng-chiu, and Peng Chi-ming all have much the same thing to say about acid fog: While we naturally use umbrellas when it rains, umbrellas are useless in fogs, which surround us and soak us through. Since there's no easy way for us to protect ourselves from fogs, the scientists argue that acid fogs are a greater worry than acid rain.
Lin Teng-chiu adds that behind many a romantic scene lies a good deal of pollution-e.g. flame-red sunsets (dust scattering sunlight makes sunsets redder), green mountain lakes (a symptom of severe eutrophication), and lingering clouds and mists.
"Maybe we should update the old saying 'sunset is beautiful but the night is coming' to 'sunset is beautiful but the pollution is heavy,'" remarks Lin Teng-chiu wryly.
Gathering long-term data
Extrapolating from the experience of other nations, Lin Teng-chiu and others have shown that acid-rain damage to Taiwan's ecology, agriculture, architecture, and human health results in total economic losses of as much as NT$10 billion per year (roughly 0.16% of GDP).
But, as serious as this damage is, scholars and EPA officials admit that there's very little that Taiwan can do about it since most of the pollution originates in mainland China. The EPA has sought to bring up the problem of long-range transmission of pollutants (e.g acid rain) at several recent Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Forums, but the Chinese negotiators have avoided the topic, and instead agreed only to include weather cooperation in the negotiations.
"The reason is simple," says an exasperated Lin Neng-huei. "Weather cooperation benefits people's livelihoods, while pollution prevention requires determining blame. Japan has been trying without success to bring China to the negotiating table for years. Taiwan will have an even more difficult time doing so."
If we are to address this problem in the long term, we can and must improve our own pollution controls, collect long-term monitoring data, and work closely with acid-rain monitoring networks in other East Asia nations. With regard to China, which truly is the elephant in the room on this issue, all we can do is prepare, wait for an opportune moment, then, with the help and support of the international community, encourage it to address its various pollution issues.