The first American use of road salt was in New Hampshire in 1938. By 1942, 5,000 tons of salt was used nationwide (Kelly, et.al.). Today, it is estimated that 15,000,000 tons of salt are used on roads in the winter; a 300,000-percent increase (Kelly, et.al.). Road salt is leaving a detrimental effect on the environment and discontinuation is vital to keeping plants, animals, and humans safe and healthy. Road salt is a key component to staying safe in the winter, but it is not safe for the environment. Scientists are looking for alternatives to road salt that are both more effective and safer for the environment.
Road salt comes into contact with the natural environment by means of snow and ice melting into water. The salt then runs, with the water, into lakes and streams, habitats and sources of water for both plants and animals. As cars drive along roads and highways, the revolving wheels spray salt on plants. Plants that are sensitive to large quantities of sodium, or salt, can experience potassium deficiency, stunted growth, phosphorus deficiency, toxic amounts of chloride, and premature leaf drop (Gould). Aquatic plants that are sensitive to high levels of salt are likely to die because the salt absorbs the water, causing plant cells to shrivel and die (Gould). When amphibians and other semi-aquatic freshwater organisms swim in salty water they too shrivel up and die, similar to a slug covered in salt (Siegel). The salt running into bodies of water is disrupting the food chain and killing thousands of organisms every day.
Sodium chloride is the effective ingredient in both table salt and road salt (Rastogi). The only difference is that road salt is unfiltered and unpurified. This means that they have equivalent effects on yo...
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.... Cary Institute of Ecosystem System, 2014. Web. 27 Feb 2014.
"Environmental, Health and Economic Impacts of Salt." New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. State of New Hampshire, 2014. Web. 4 Mar 2014.
"Management Practices." University of Michigan. Regents of the University of Michigan, 2010. Web. 4 Mar 2014.
Rastogi, Nina. "Salting the Earth." Slate. The Slate Group, 2014. Web. 28 Feb 2014.
Siegel, Lori. "Hazard Identification for Human and Ecological Effects of Sodium Chloride Road Salt." Rebuilding I-93. New Hampshire Department of Transportation, 2004. Web. 4 Mar 2014.
Strohl, Daniel. "How exactly does road salt cause cars to rust?." Hemmings Daily. American City Business Journals, 2012. Web. 3 Mar 2014.
Wenta, Rick, and Kirsti Sorsa. "Road Salt Report - 2012." Public Health: Madison & Dane County. City of Madison, 2014. Web. 2 Mar 2014.
I found that there is always unintended events or problems that occur because of salt. For example, if the Egyptians did not depend on salt for mummification, would they still be as obsessed to own a large load of it? Also, if the church had not restricted meat, would the need for salt be forgot instead of advertised to the world? Salt: A World History is very bias based on the fact that the author believes salt is one of the greatest things to happen. Kurlansky repeatedly reminds the reader that without salt, certain wars or cuisines would never come to
Philip J. Landrigan and Jane B. McCammon. “Public Health Reports” (1974- ), Vol. 112, No. 6
Pollution is especially bad during the winter months in Utah. After a snow storm, a thick layer of fog and dirty air builds up. Snow is then left on the valley floors of Salt Lake City and then the warm high pressure will trap the cold air, which creates an effect of putting a lid on a bowl. This thick layer of smoggy air keeps the dirty air from our emissions and keeps the pollutants from escaping (Frosch,2013).
Dixon, Will. "Will Dixon's ECO 108 Site: Critical Analysis: The Case for Contamination." Will Dixon's ECO 108 Site: Critical Analysis: The Case for Contamination. Class Summary, Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Journal of Public Health. Vol. 70, No. 4, Apr. 1980, pp. 348-351. EBSCOhost. 2017 October 25.
US Enviromental Protection Agency. (2010, December 13). Retrieved January 20, 2011, from US EPA Human Health: http://cfpub.epa.gov/eroe/index.cfm?fuseaction=list.listByChapter&ch=49
Common salt is necessary in everyday lives because it carries vital substances. It also has many uses, but is found to be used in food only one percent of the time (McGrath and Travers, 1999). It is used to clear ice and snow off of roads, during the production of chlorine, in livestock feeding, to preserve foods, and to improve the taste of some foods. (Aasen, et Al 1999).
...enters for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 6 Dec. 2013.
7. Salton Sea Authority and Bureau of Reclamation .1997. The Salton Sea : Opportunities and Challenges. A brochure.
As swans drift with the current on a secluded lake in upper Canada they think not of the water they are in but of dreams of the past and wants for the future. On the other hand, seals off the coast of Northern California fear for their lives every day of humans exploiting their natural habitat. Many things can endanger water born animals, and most all of these come directly from humans. The pollutants of water come from many sources both close and far away from the water body itself. Wastes of humans are the major cause of pollution in the water, such materials include sewage, chemicals among other notable items. First, the composition water: water is odorless, tasteless and a transparent liquid. Though in large quantities water appears to have a bluish tint, it maintains the transparent tendency when observed in smaller quantities. Water covers approximately seventy percent of the Earth's surface in the solid and liquid form. Pollutants can be carried over a great distance by combining with evaporating moisture, forming clouds and then the wind taking the clouds to the larger body of water. This process is called acid rain and it is a major source of water pollution. Acid rain has been a problem since the Industrial Revolution, and has kept growing ever since. With acid rain moving over to a fresh water body, the plants and animals could experience pollution that they never had to deal with before and they could possibly die for the sudden change without them having time to adapt, if this is possible.
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Public Health and Schools Toolkit. Arlington: Association of State an d Territorial Health Officials, 2014. PDF file.
...Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 28 Oct. 2011. Web. 13 May 2014. .
...s - Fact Sheet." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Feb. 2011. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
There is a serious problem with our nation's roads and highways. I find myself repeatedly avoiding trips to the city for this very reason, as I'm sure many others do as well. This nerve-wracking congestion is even beginning to find its way into the suburbs and surrounding areas of large cities. It is a serious problem that affects everyone who owns an automobile, as well as, businesses that are dependent on reliable and convenient transportation. To top it all off, this problem is getting worse every year. The population of this nation is growing, which translates to an increase in cars on the road. More people are moving to cities and the suburbs that surround them, creating gridlocks everywhere.
It was previously thought that the type of water aspirated posed a serious threat to the patient and drastically increased their chance of mortality. In particular, salt water was thought to be one of the more potent types of water to aspirate due to it’s tonicity. This previous thought that salt water was more harmful to...