as long astwelve years without refueling, the atom provides a better life for many of the inhabitants of the earth. Yet, this same power that is used today to detect genetic disorders in unborn children or to destroy a malignant cancer cell was the destructive force that killed over one hundred thousand people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. The splitting of the atom, the unleashing of its terrific power, poses the greatest single threat known to humanity. We now have the power to destroy in a matter of minutes a civilisation that has taken centuries to develop. Never before has the power for such potential good or such total destruction existed.
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ACID RAIN
Acid rain is rain, snow, or fog that contains high amounts of sulphuric or nitric acid. To some extent, acidic rain occurs naturally and can have a beneficial effect - for instance, serving as fertilizer. But, when the acidity of the precipitation is abnormally high over a prolonged period, it can overwhelm the ability of water and woods (and buildings, statues, car finishes, fish, game, and humans) to accommodate it. When this happens, lakes and trees may die, game species may weaken, and human health may be endangered. Those who have studied the current crisis believe it to be the result of high acid levels caused primarily by sulphur dioxide emissions from coal-fired utility plants and nitrogen oxide emissions from automobiles. These pollutants are either transformed to acid in the air or deposited on the ground in dry form, combining with ground water to form sulphuric or nitric acid.
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A large-scale campaign to alert smokers to the dangers of filling the lungs with carcinogenic smoke has been undertaken in many countries. Cigarette promotions have been banned on television in several major areas, and there has been endless discussion of how to discourage children from taking up the habit. Gruesome films are shown of pathetic hospital patients in the advanced stages of lung cancer. A few smokers have responded
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intelligently and given up, but many others have become so alarmed that