Acid Rain is formed when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react with water and oxygen in the atmosphere to form acidic compounds, which fall to Earth as acid rain and snow. State and federal research shows that of the 2,800 lakes and ponds in the Adirondacks, nearly 25 percent are now so acidified that they no longer support plant or fish life. Asthma is the most chronic illness among children. More than 1 million New Yorkers suffer from asthma. Exposure to sulfur dioxide affects the body s respiratory system.
Nitrogen oxides play a major role in producing smog.
It can irritate lungs and exacerbate asthmatic conditions. The Clean Air Act amendments also established the nation s first acid rain control program. In a partial settlement of the lawsuit, the federal government agreed to produce a report in 1996 on whether the new program is working. New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer begins research on power plants suspected of violating the federal Clean Air Act. AG staff and consultants visit state Public Service Commissions in Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Michigan to examine individual power plant filings.