'Should I Be Worried?' 4 - Finding The Answers

The page that prompted my question

Do you remember the question I had on the first blogpost of this 'Should I Be Worried' series? (For those of you who are new to my blog, there are three previous posts leading up to this final one; please read those first if you are interested in acidic precipitation!) I had wondered whether the following argument in the book was a strong one: since beverages such as orange juice and coke are strong acids that are harmless for our consumption, acid rain - of much lower acidity - cannot have the head-balding effects that many Koreans fear. Pushing aside the "absurdity" of the fear, I'd thought that this perhaps was not a very accurate argument. Everyone knows that strong acids like HCL and H2SO4 should not be consumed...but the above mentioned drinks - also strong acids - can be safely consumed. What makes certain acids drinkable and others dangerous? I'd thought that maybe there was a different type of acids...so I set out to find out. As I mentioned in my previous post, I couldn't get the information I wanted on the Internet. So I asked my chemistry professor and earth science professor and got a somewhat clearer picture. 

          According to my chemistry professor, there is no different type or kind of acidity that decides whether a certain beverage is drinkable or not. After talking with her, I realized that I hadn't thought deeply enough about how acidity works...even strong acids like hydrogen chloride and sulfuric acid can be diluted so that they are safe to drink. But then I got another question: suppose there is a sample of hydrogen chloride at pH 4 and orange juice at pH 4. When they're both at the same - and low - pH level, obviously the latter is the one we would drink. while what the book said felt more reasonable (that rainwater is acidic but only at a very low level, thus causes no harm to our health) I got yet another question, so I set out to ask my earth science professor. 

The book asks us to question

 "Acid Rain" itself

          We mainly discussed whether we could determine the safety - or lack of - in a certain food only based on its level of pH. He said (adding that he is not a biology teacher, haha) that the reactions a bit of food goes through our digestive system can be different from another. Our body reacts differently to each food so that even if a strong acid enters, there is a sort of "buffer system" that would make sure it causes no harm to our internal system. A classic example from high school biology class makes it clear: Cells in the duodenum - the beginning of the small intestine - secrete bicarbonate to neutralize any gastric acid before it is passed through the digestive tract. Likewise, a strong acid like orange juice does not harm us since it goes through a "system" that makes it harmless. Thus, it would be inaccurate to claim that certain foods are safer or more dangerous than others simply because of its pH levels. Plus, there would also be a difference between consuming acidic drinks (so that they actually get in our bodies) and having acidic liquids remain on our scalps. (Remember, Koreans do not fear getting in touch with rain...they fear what rainwater can do if we don't wash it away quickly from our hair roots.)
          Although the little "research" I did only scratched the surface, I think I can give a sort of conclusion to the question I had. Yes, rain usually has a much higher level of pH than liquids that we consume or use on a daily basis. This suggests that rainwater can be safe to drink, for example, so there shouldn't be such a great fear about acid rain when only looking at the level of acidity. On the other hand, drinking and getting in sustained contact with acid rain are quite different. Therefore, to say that rainwater would not cause any harm to our scalp ( it does sound a bit funny written down, doesn't it?) simply because it is less acidic than liquids that we drinkwould not be the strongest argument to make. What do you think??

There are some areas where the water sources have
Arsenic concentrations higher than 0.05 ppm

          So with my question answered somewhat satisfactorily, what have I got to say about this book? It shook me up, quite a bit. Although I only wrote about whether we should be worried about acid rain or snow, the book's later chapters provide knowledge and ideas for using rainwater as a resource. According to the professor, we may not even need to depend on dams, underground water storage or bottled water. Controlling the flow of rain efficiently could eliminate floods or the problems of poisoned water sources. The most important thing, though, was this: of course I agree with the parts about acid rain as a resource, but I struggled a little with what the book called "The Strange Story of Acid Rain". What the book said (that in Korea, acid rain should not be held accountable for acidified lakes and forests, corroded buildings and of course, baldness among other things) clashed with what I ideas I had accumulated over the years. The thinking process itself was one of the most valuable things I gained. Whether or not I completely agree with everything in this book is another matter; but I recommend it to anyone who wants to have their paradigms challenged, beliefs and ideas confronted and astonishing knowledge and concepts gained. So yes, I had quite a unique reading experience with "Rainwater and You" by Moo Young Han and Chang Rae Kang. 

Sorry about the delay in publishing this blogpost :((( This time, I'll be more specific: the next post will be up before May comes!