Acid Pollution on the Decline

Danish researchers at the University of Copenhagen have discovered that manmade acid pollution of the atmosphere is almost back to preindustrial levels. For the first time, they were able to distinguish between man-made acids, caused mainly by fossil fuel consumption, and those produced by volcanic eruptions or forest fires. Production of the former reached its peak in the 1970s, but following clean air legislation in Europe and the United States, and the implementation of more effective industrial filtering methods, man-made acid pollution has now fallen to 1930s levels.