The rain is stealing our vital nutrients, still!

This excerpt is from the book, Equine Supplements & Nutraceuticals, Eleanor M. Kellon, VMD, Breakthrough Publications, Inc.

Most of us have heard at least something about acid rain -- how it destroys the paint jobs on our cars and eats away at statues, monuments and historical sites. For the most part, however, acid rain does not have much of an impact on our daily lives.

A less publicized aspect of acid rain is the damage it does to soils, plants and water supplies in affected areas. Acid rain is more than just a doomsday warning from radical environmentalists. The United States government has taken acid rain seriously enough to enact laws forcing industry to decrease automobile exhaust emissions responsible for acid rain and to set up monitoring programs across the country. Acid rain results when emissions (largely from the burning of fossil fuels), sulfur and nitrogen compounds, react with the oxygen in the air. Soils with high buffering capacity (ability to neutralize acidity), such as those in many Midwest states, can handle the extra acid load without adverse effects. Soils with poor buffering capacity, such as those east of the Mississippi, and especially in states along the eastern seaboard, will not be able to neutralize the acidity well. Changes will occur in the minerals of the soil.

Acid rain that is not neutralized will dissolve beneficial nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, causing them to be washed away. At the same time, toxic minerals such as aluminum, which are in a stable, bound form at higher soil pH, become liberated and will substitute for some of the other nutrients that are washed away. The higher concentration of aluminum also appears in the ground water of affected areas. Similar changes occur to surface waters, such as lakes. The end result is less availability of beneficial minerals, as they become washed away and higher availability of toxic minerals such as aluminum.

Farmers can offset some of these changes by treating their soils with limestone (a buffering agent) and fertilizers, which are high in the beneficial minerals. Crops grown on treated soils are less likely to be affected. However, changes may still occur in grazing land and in the water supply. There is evidence from hair mineral analysis that aluminum toxicity is a growing problem. Toxic levels of aluminum are appearing with alarming frequency in livestock and horsehair samples reported from Uckele Animal Health and Nutrition Laboratories in Blissfield, Michigan. In some cases this can be traced to contamination of the premises (bases used in making livestock feed), but in others, most notably in horses, it cannot. Horses are believed to be very sensitive to aluminum in the environment and are an indicator species -- accumulating high levels of aluminum very easily.

Editorial

As caregivers of our animals and consumers of food, we can take a responsibility to combat acid rain. Carpool or trailer a friend with you to the next event. Reduce automobile emissions into our atmosphere. You can also turn off the lights, radio and anything else that requires electricity when you are not in the barn. You could also choose an environmentally friendly utility company. Better yet, install your own windmill or solar panels to generate your own electricity. Passive solar is a very inexpensive consideration when planning new construction.*

Consider the consequences of our planet's future if we choose to ignore Mother Nature's warnings!

References:

*Passive solar design refers to the use of the sun's energy for the heating and cooling of living spaces. In this approach, the building itself or some element of it takes advantage of natural energy characteristics in materials and air created by exposure to the sun. Passive systems are simple, have few moving parts, and require minimal maintenance and require no mechanical systems. Sustainable Building Sourcebook http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/PassiveSol.html#Define

Equine Supplements & Nutraceuticals, Eleanor M. Kellon,VMD: Excerpts reprinted with permission of Breakthrough Publications, Inc. To order copies call 1-800-276-8419. $34.95

Solar Village Institute, Inc., www.solarvillage.com, (336) 376-9530

Sunelco, The Sun Electric Co., www.sunelco.com, (800) 338-6844

Bergey Wind Generators, danchurch@aol.com, (610) 360-8996

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