The 5 Types Of Dangerous Ice Melting Salts

With the onset of each winter, municipalities across the United States and Canada send out a fleet of snowplows to clear roads and apply salt to roadways. Keeping roadways open and clear is not only vital to economic operations but can also mean the difference between keeping the public safe and exposing them to life-threatening conditions. Each winter, road salt is applied primarily across the Snow Belt in the United States and throughout Canada. The amount varies by winter, but on average 17 million tons of salt is applied to American roadways with an additional 6 million tons applied to Canadian streets. If you live in a cold weather locale you’ve no doubt seen plows and salt trucks doing their job, but do you ever wonder what types of ice melting salts they are dumping on the streets?

What Types Of Salts Are Used On Roads?

Rock salt is the most cost-effective and widely used road ice melt chemical. There are also other compounds available in the market. But the majority of the ice melts used on sidewalks or driveways contain salt. Every salt, including road salt, has advantages and disadvantages.

One of the most significant advantages of rock salt is its accessibility and low cost. It does not work in very cold weather and has severe environmental dangers. The sodium and chlorine enter the groundwater and elevate salinity levels. In addition, because rock salt is impure, it releases additional undesirable chemicals into the ecosystem. All salt-based ice melts are toxic for kids, plants, and pets but are destructive also. These dangerous salts can corrode the surface and can cause severe health issues.

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What Kind Of Salt Is Used On Roads?

In the winter, road salt can prevent ice from forming on the roads. Salt is used in industries to thaw water, crystallized into the snow because of the cold weather. It keeps the road moist while also reducing dust. Special chemicals like sugar and hexacyanoferrate help to avoid caking of road salt.

Salt is a common means of melting ice and snow on the roads. Salt dissolves quickly in water, lowering the ice’s melting point thus, reducing the amount of ice or snow that forms. Before we decide to use salt as our ice melting solution, we need to understand its types and dangers coming along with it.

There are actually different types of road salts used to help combat snow, slush, and ice on roadways during the winter months. The five of the more common types of road salts used in deicing operations are sodium chloride or rock salt, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, potassium chloride and salt blends.

Although not as finely ground, this type of salt is the same as you’ll find on the table at home or in the local restaurant. Also known as halite, sodium chloride is dark gray in color and is often presoaked to prevent it from scattering off the roadway when applied.
Pros:
Both physical structures and materials, as well as the ecosystem, are harmed by this salt. Avoid using it on concrete since it can damage both old and new concrete, as well as asphalt, stone, and brick. Even fewer amounts of this salt can contaminate nearby soil, altering its composition and harming grass and plants. It is also poisonous to pets and has the potential to contaminate groundwater.

The liquid form of magnesium chloride is used on roads as an ice melt. Magnesium chloride is inexpensive to use and releases heat slowly as it dissolves, allowing it to combat snow and ice.
Pros:
This ice melt can harm pets, children, wildlife, and even adults. When contacted, it can cause eye discomfort, skin irritation, and burns. Respiratory irritation can occur if you inhale the vapors of this substance. It can cause gastrointestinal irritation, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea if consumed.

Excessive use can be harmful to plants. It corrodes metals and absorbs atmospheric moisture. If your concrete absorbs too much water, it will remain damp and vulnerable to harm.

Calcium chloride, like magnesium chloride, can be made or found naturally occurring. It is applied in liquid form to icy roads and is particularly effective at extreme low temperatures. It is more effective than sodium chloride with less negative impact on the environment, but is also more expensive.
Pros:
Calcium chloride corrodes metals and destroys carpets and tiles. Although it is less harmful to plants than other chemicals, excessive use can be disastrous. Calcium chloride has a disastrous environmental impact.

It melts ice quickly, but it also collects moisture, making surfaces soggy and slick. As a result, the likelihood of a slip and fall incidence increases. It can induce tongue and throat burns, increased thirst, vomiting, and stomach pain in pets. The chemical may irritate the skin and eyes if not handled with suitable gloves and handwashing.

Another significant disadvantage of calcium chloride ice melt is its relatively high price, making it a less tempting and realistic alternative for consumers who require a large amount of ice melt.

This road salt is not particularly effective at low temperatures, and therefore is not a popular choice in the depths of winter. However, it is often combined with other salts to lessen the negative impacts on the environment. Because potassium chloride occurs naturally in plants, it is viewed as safer than sodium chloride.
Pros:
It is more expensive, with costs of 50 pounds ranging from $20 to $50. On its own, potassium chloride is also difficult to come by. As a result, it’s more common in ice melt mixes. It is frequently mixed with other harmful chemicals, making it a menace to the environment and increasing its corrosiveness.

There are an increasing number of salt mixtures in use across the country, many of which have come into existence in an effort to combat the negative environmental impacts of salt. Potassium and Sodium Chloride is one such mixture.
Pros:
All the salt mixtures have a blend of chloride with any other chemical. The presence of harmful salt makes them equally dangerous for all of us.

Safe Paw Ice Melt

All of the items above can be replaced with an environmentally friendly product that does not contain salt, such as Safe Paw. A product that does not include salt will not harm the environment. Here is how Safe Paw, the salt free ice melter works.

Safe Paw comprises traction agents and has a modified crystalline amide core interleaved with glycol admixture.
While breaking surface tension, the liquid component immediately begins melting ice.
The crystal core effectively penetrates and destabilizes ice, causing the melting process to accelerate.
For up to three days, Safe Paw creates an invisible layer of protection that helps prevent ice from clinging to surfaces.

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Dangers Of Using Salt Ice Melt

It takes a variety of salting approaches to keep roads clear and open during the winter months and it does cause hazards to the environment. Here are some of the hazards of using salt. The salts listed above are the most common salts you see dumped on roads in your town but don’t be surprised to see alternatives rolling out in the coming years.

When exposed to water, ice, and low temperatures, rock salt, and other salt-based ice melters contain sodium chloride or potassium chloride, which can heat up to 175 degrees. These white pellets (crystals) often linger on the surface of ice and snow for a long time before penetrating. Pets, children, concrete, decks, bricks, and the environment are all at risk.

While playing in the snow, children come into contact with salt-based particles. These products can irritate the eyes, and swallowing them by accident can result in stomach difficulties and renal damage. Dermatitis, rashes, and blistering can all result from direct contact with the skin.

Exposure to salt-based ice melters, in particular, can lead to an unpleasant winter and unexpected appointments to the veterinarian. The salts freeze in the paws and fur of the dog.

These salts can burn the skin when they are inside with greater temperatures, creating ulcers and redness in the tissue, leading to bacterial infections. By licking the salt-based items off their paws, dogs can develop intestinal issues and stomach inflammation (gastritis).

The salt residue left behind by these items damages pavers, asphalt, concrete, wood decks, floors, and rugs permanently.

It eventually seeps into groundwater supplies or washes into lakes and streams, causing damage to aquatic creatures. Salt-based ice melters also cause soil erosion, plant death, grass fires, and bird poisoning.

Why Do We Love Safe Ice Melt?

It Saves Us From Shoveling Work.

Shoveling is not an option for most of us. It is time-consuming and a strenuous activity, especially for those who are suffering from a back problem. Shoveling was never my favorite chore. It requires a great deal of time and work. Safe ice melt, on the other hand, is quite simple to use. It aids in the melting of ice and the maintenance of a non-slippery surface with minimal effort.

Pet’s Paws Are Safe

The jagged edges of ice particles, as well as the chemical snow melter, can injure dogs. Burning, cracking, and cuts on the paw pad, as well as broken nails, are common side effects.

Almost all ice melts on the market contain salt and are therefore unfit for human consumption. Many manufacturers use magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, or potassium chloride instead of rock salt. These chloride-based treatments are not safe for pets and can irritate, burning the eyes, nose, and lungs. If consumed, it can cause nausea, diarrhea, and dehydration.

Salt-free natural ice melt is a pet-friendly ice melt that won’t burn or poison them if consumed. Safe Paw is a non-salt, non-chlorine, non-acetate formula that is safe for pets, children, and the environment.

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Look After The Property.

Safe ice melt is free of salt and chlorine. All wise homeowners who value their home choose only this natural ice melt. It won’t erode our driveway. In reality, it aids in the long-term safety and durability of our driveway, pavement, and steps.

Assists In The Pre-Treatment Of Surfaces.

If you don’t want to go out in the snow to shovel or blow it away, you may use safe ice melt before the storm and it will perform the job for you. It also acts as a pre-treatment, preventing ice from adhering to surfaces for up to three days after application.

Safeguards Concrete, Asphalt, And Wooden Deck

Not all ice melts are suitable for use on our deck. Almost every ice melt on the market contains chemicals and poisons that might harm your wooden deck’s luster and lifespan. The salt-based ice melts also corrode the concrete and asphalt surfaces.

They contain salt and chloride, which absorb moisture from the wood and cause it to become brittle and weak. Safe deicer melts the snow from the top of your deck gently and without damaging it. It is also safe for concrete, asphalt, and bricks.

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It Allows Us To Feel Satisfied As Responsible Citizens.

Safe ice melt is a pet-friendly, environmentally friendly ice melt that won’t hurt your plants or vegetation. Furthermore, because it is colored, you can avoid applying the ice melt to places that could be injured.

How To Buy A Safe Ice Melt Product?

Examine The Ice Melt Jar’s Makeup.

Before you buy ice melt, be sure you know about its main constituents. By going through it, you’ll be able to determine whether the ice melt contains any potentially harmful salts.

Look Up The Product On The Internet.

Watch videos and read online reviews and testimonies. The natural salt-free ice melt received the majority of the positive feedback.

Make An Informed Decision.

Choose a salt-free, non-toxic ice melt. Not only will it keep you safe, but it will help keep neighboring vegetation alive without damaging water bodies.

Love Your Pets

As pet owners, it is our responsibility to purchase the best available supplies to protect our animals.

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Conclusion

The ice-melting benefits of salt-based treatments are negated by the fact that they are poisons that can cause skin burns, blisters, mouth and throat irritation, and stomach distress. Safe ice melt has no salt in it and there are no side effects from using it. It’s non-toxic and won’t irritate your skin.

Other Ice Melt Products

Traction Magic

Use Traction Magic on sidewalks, steps, or as instant traction for your car. 100% Natural & pet safe. Made in the USA.

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Safe Thaw

Imagine an ice melt you can put down and never worry about. It won’t harm animals or children, and it won’t damage your property.

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