UAE | General
Meteorologist says acid rain e-mail and SMS is a scam
Meteorologists said it is just a rumour that is falsely attributed to Nasa (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
- By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:00 April 21, 2010
Al Ain: Do not panic or believe the contents of an e-mail or SMS that you receive predicting acid rain in the Arabian Gulf.
Meteorologists said it is just a rumour that is falsely attributed to Nasa (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
Many people have received the acid rain message over the past several days. It is, mainly in Arabic, saying, "please, forward this alert to all the people you care".
The false alert says the acid rain will fall during April 20 and April 28. The message says, "Be careful: There is a possibility of acid rain from 20th to 28th of this month. The dark circle appeared around the moon on 17th of last month and this was an indication of an acid rain. Apparently, this happens once in 750 years. It rains normally but it may cause skin cancer if you expose yourself to it. This is coming from Nasa, warn your family and friends."
A meteorologist on Tuesday told Gulf News that the alert is a scam and is being used to terrorise people. "There are absolutely no chances of acid rain in the region. This e-mail has no connection with reality," he said.
Explaining the dark circle around the Moon, he said a Jet Propulsion Laboratory expert with Nasa has recently said it is a common occurrence in space. It is an optical illusion in clear skies and with the presence of fine ice particles in the upper atmosphere. It has no connection with the acid rain.
The meteorologist said the rumour could possibly be a reaction of the volcanic eruption in the Iceland that has thrown up a thick cloud of ash several miles high that led to the disruption of air traffic across the northern Europe.
Did you receive this email? What was your reaction? How seriously do you take such emails?
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