What Are The Health Risks Of Using Chloride-Based Salts This Winter?

People have long known that salting roads keeps them clear of ice, but few people are aware of the environmental consequences of the millions of tones of salt put on highways each year. This salt is building up in the environment, posing a new threat to ecosystems, as well as human health. The chloride-free ice melt solutions are the best way to avoid health risks and environmental damages associated with chloride ice melts. Here are various risks of using chloride-based salts this winter.

Chloride And Its Impact

Does not matter how much it snows; we can’t keep children indoors. They frequently come in contact with salt-based ice melts while playing in snow-covered yards or porches. These products can irritate the eyes, and swallowing them accidentally, can result in stomach difficulties and renal damage. The direct contact of chloride salts can cause dermatitis, rashes, and blistering. That is the reason more care is required while using chloride-based salts to melt ice. Most of the salt-based ice melt packages carry instructions regarding wearing safety gear while using the product.

Rock salt also has sodium as the main ingredient. Despite it being a nutritional necessity, it has a bad reputation regarding health, owing to concerns about hypertension. Hypertension is a leading cause of death and cardiovascular disease.

To avoid these health issues, let us choose a safe ice melt solution. It will not only keep everyone safe but is also gentle for plants and pets. It gives a long-lasting effect without damaging your surfaces.

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Effect Of Chloride On Plants And Animals

Salt burn can occur on buds, leaves, and small twigs when sprayed with salt. It desiccates the bud scales, exposing fragile tissues of the growing leaves and flowers, which can also cause injury. Salt spray damage is characterized by leaf browning, bud death, and branch dieback on the plant’s side facing the road or sidewalk.

Dissolved salts in runoff water also have an impact on plants. When salts are dissolved in water, the sodium and chloride ions separate. Chloride build-up can be harmful, resulting in leaf burn and die-back.

When salt-laden snow is plowed or shoveled onto lawns and garden beds, it causes harm. Salt can become a persistent problem once it is introduced into an ecosystem. To avoid this, people are moving towards other products, including fertilizer to melt ice.

Salt-based ice melt is extremely dangerous for pets as it causes burns and paw irritation. Chloride is poisonous to aquatic species, and even low quantities in freshwater settings can cause harm. Road salt-laden runoff can deplete oxygen levels in bodies of water. As many car owners will confirm, salt is also corrosive. Salt, on the other hand, eats away at more than just car bodies.

Gaia Enterprises Inc. delivers 100% pet-safe and environmentally friendly winter products. Safe Paw, our flagship product, is the #1 selling pet-safe ice melt that does not harm pets, safe if ingested, and safe on all types of concrete.

Conclusion

Chlorides are dangerous not only for humans but for pets and plants also. They will corrode your metal and damage the concrete. To avoid these problems, you need a safe ice melt solution like Safe Paw that is chloride-free and eco-friendly. This winter, choose a pet-safe, environmentally friendly, and free from toxins ice melt.

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