'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!

'Should I Be Worried?' - Acid Rain/Snow

         Last night's news report on TV included another horribly unnerving coverage on massive snowfall around Korea. With the greatest depth of snow being 110.1cm this month (as of 14/02/14) and the damage costs adding up to 5 billion Korean won in just the Gangwon East Sea area*, Korea is facing a colossal catastrophe like nearby Asian countries, North America and others.
         Already February, most of us have had enough of snow. But even without news about greenhouses, factories and houses collapsing due to abnormal snowfall, we fear it for another reason: "Acid Snow". 
          When the tiny flakes make our surroundings more than beautiful (see pictures below of my school campus grounds in December), a few (very few) of us in Korea go outside and dance in glee. Most of us stay inside, fearing a myriad of health implications we hear about. Occasionally the former but usually the latter, I would open my umbrella like the others during snowfall, gloomily thinking about the "good old days" when there was no such thing as acid snow. I would sigh and take comfort in capturing the little beauties in the pictures I take, sometimes thinking of solutions to minimize the acid snow impact on our health. 

         But what if I could go out without an umbrella, taste a snowflake melt instantly on my tongue, not caring about the pH levels of snow? What if I shouldn't be worried at all? What if all the purported consequences of getting in contact with it don't exist? 

        I started reading a book that was on the Recommended Books list at school: "Rainwater And You" by Professor Moo Young Han and Chang Rae Kang. The book jacket told me that it would correct all the misconceptions we have about acid rain - with a focus on Korea. This book's main point is that the concept of acid rain may be completely wrong and that we shouldn't fear rain so much. Since snow and rain are both precipitation, I thought that learning about rain would teach me about snow along the way. 
         I'm only about a third through the book, but I've already read some mind-boggling ideas that brought me both answers and questions. Firstly, Chapter 1 holds an interesting subtitle: "Being Acidic Doesn't Make it Bad". For example, orange juice's acidity is 100 times more acidic than acid rain's, with coke's as 500 times more. Even some shampoos or conditioners can be 100 times more acidic. By taking only this into consideration, the idea that acid rain causes baldness** would seem absurd, just like the book insists. To be honest, I

'Rainwater And You' By Professor Han
and Chang Rae Kang

felt that this was too weak a reason to use. Surely, most of us are aware that simply being acidic or alkaline doesn't make a substance toxic. We should NOT drink sodium hydroxide (NaOH) - an alkaline solution - but we can consume green leafy vegetables and fruits like watermelon*** - also alkaline foods. There can be a difference in the type of acidity between acid rain and orange juice, don't you think? I'll find out more about it and get back to you on this!
       One of the things I really found interesting was that acid rain cannot have harmful effects on the soil. According to Professor Han, the yellow dust that flew over to Korea for the past hundreds of years would neutralize any acid rain that falls. Although I had learned about the neutralization effect of yellow dust in Korean Geography class, I was not aware of its strength. I also didn't know that yellow dust could settle over land and remain. I will try to find more about it, and tell you the best I can!




       Updates to come soon-!
         
*http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/society/2014/02/14/0701000000AKR20140214068951062.HTML?template=5565
 **This idea is very popular in Korea; I'm under the impression that people in other countries have not even heard of this. Please tell me in the comments whether such a view exists where you live!
***http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/alkaline-foods.html