How does the presence of acid rain affect the use of acid-base indicators in a business that relies on chemical testing?

Acid rain introduces extra hydrogen ions into the environment, lowering the pH of the air and any water that collects in the lab or on test samples. This means that when a business uses acid‑base indicators to judge a sample’s acidity, the indicators may shift to a different colour earlier than expected because the baseline pH has already dropped. The result is that the same indicator could give a false “acidic” reading even if the sample itself is neutral, leading to misinterpretation of test results. For example, a phenolphthalein indicator that turns pink at pH 8. 2 might turn pink at pH 7.