Ecology

Question

Currently, I am doing a science project for my final exam, and I have a few questions for you. My topic is road salting, and I would like to know: How and why does road salt impact the environment? What are the arguments against road salting? What are the arguments for road salting? I know that this is a widely contested issue, and I would like to hear an expert's opinion on it. My final exam is a week from today, so I would appreciate it if you could answer my questions as soon as possible. Thank you. *Emily*

Answer

Dear Emily,<BR><BR>Thank you for sending your question to AskNSDL.&nbsp; You're right - people seem to have strong opinions on this issue - for and against.&nbsp; I located a few resources that state arguments on both sides of the debate.&nbsp; On the "pro" side - &nbsp;less accidents and injuries, shorter travel times, less absenteeism, etc. On the "con" side - ground water contamination,&nbsp;deterioration of bridges, cars, etc. I found this information on the Web, using Google's (&nbsp;<A href=http://www.google.com">http://www.google.com</A>&nbsp;) "Advanced search" option. I searched for: debate "road salt."<BR><BR>Bradoff, Kristine. "The Deicing Debate: Will It Ever Be Put on Ice?"&nbsp; The Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, MIchigan Technology University. Be sure to look at the second paragraph in the section, "Sensible Salting" for a&nbsp;listing of reasons for and&nbsp;against salting roads.&nbsp;The only drawback is that the article is a bit&nbsp;dated; however (1994).<BR><A href=http://emml.mtu.edu/gem/community/publications/wellspring/deicingdebate.html">http://emml.mtu.edu/gem/community/publications/wellspring/deicingdebate.html</A><BR><BR>Chua, June. "The Low Down on Road Salts," CBC News Special Reports - This article presents pro's and con's (mostly con's) of using salt to deice roads.&nbsp; Information is gleaned from the Environment Canada Report (2001)&nbsp;and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.&nbsp; There are links on the right hand side of the web page to further resources.<BR><A href=http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/indepth/salt/">http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/indepth/salt/</A><BR><BR>Environment Canada Road Salts Website - This website has a lot of information on the use of road salts in a country where snow is a big part of winter.<BR><A href=http://www.ec.gc.ca/nopp/roadsalt/en/index.cfm">http://www.ec.gc.ca/nopp/roadsalt/en/index.cfm</A><BR><BR>FAQ: "What are the Environmental Concerns Associated with Road Salts?" Here is a one paragraph summary of the problems with using road salts.<BR><A href=http://www.ec.gc.ca/nopp/roadsalt/en/faq.cfm?q=3">http://www.ec.gc.ca/nopp/roadsalt/en/faq.cfm?q=3</A><BR><BR>Emily, I hope this information has been helpful.&nbsp;Feel free to submit your question to AskNSDL again if you would like to try to get an answer directly from an expert.&nbsp; Since your question stated that you would be taking a test soon, I wanted you to get a reply before that. Don't forget to check out your local library for more resources in print and available through their databases.<BR><BR>Good luck.<BR><BR>Sincerely,<BR>Joyce W.<BR>AskNSDL staff/Virtual Reference Librarian<BR> http://emml.mtu.edu/gem/community/publications/wellspring/deicingdebate.html http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/indepth/salt/ http://www.ec.gc.ca/nopp/roadsalt/en/index.cfm http://www.ec.gc.ca/nopp/roadsalt/en/faq.cfm?q=3 "road salt" http://vrd.askvrd.org/services/answerschema.xml