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Why can acid rain affect places far from the factories and power plants that produce its pollutants?

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New York City skyline tinted orange from wildfire smoke. — air pollution control Even something as simple as breathing can get complicated.

Acid rain can affect regions far from its source because the pollutants responsible for it—primarily sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides—are released into the atmosphere and carried long distances by winds.12

Once these gases are emitted by industrial facilities, power plants, or vehicles, they remain in the air for hours or even days. During this time, they undergo chemical reactions with water, oxygen, and other substances to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid. These acids eventually mix with cloud moisture or fall as dry particles, impacting landscapes far downwind of the original emission site.312

Because these pollutants transcend local and political boundaries, acid rain has historically functioned as a regional or continental environmental problem, necessitating international cooperation to implement effective emission controls.32