The Hazards of Rock Salt and the Alternatives

[caption id="attachment_8618" align="alignleft" width="300"] NaCl: The old stand-by for ice elimination[/caption]

Most of the rock salt used on the ground around your home is a form of your able salt; good ol' sodium chloride (NaCl). There doesn't seem to be much mystery behind the stuff we sprinkle all willy-nilly around our yards but the fact is that it can contain heavy metals from the production process and leech heavy metals from the ground. And since rock salt works by binding to the ice and changing the temperature at which the ice turns to water, that new saltwater combination can flow away and into local water sources, carrying with it the heavy metals and the innate dangers of introducing salt water into fresh water environments.

Salt water blocks some plants from soaking up crucial nutrients. For some environmentally friendly options, check out calcium magnesium acetate. Its about as corrosive as normal tap water and is effective at stopping road ice down to -25 degrees Fahrenheit. As a side-by-side with other environmentally-friendly alternatives:

Calcium magnesium acetate is a salt-free and biodegradable rock salt alternative. Although more expensive and ineffective below minus 4 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit), it is a more environmentally friendly solution to ice than rock salt. Calcium chloride, another alternative, is less damaging than rock salt but is corrosive to metals and harmful to pet paws. Urea, safer to use around vegetation, is somewhat effective at melting snow and providing traction. Sand or gravel, while not able to melt ice, can provide traction for better footing

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