Why Are Salt Bad

Salt is used on a daily basis for a number of reasons, such as cooking, water treatment and de-icing roads.[1] In Canada, salt is heavily relied on when it comes to snow removal. But, the truth is, while salt does help people during the winter, it causes the rest of the environment to suffer. Because of this, I strongly feel that salt should NOT be used on our roads. Salt harms animals, affects aquatic ecosystems negatively, causes pollution, contaminates greenery by the road, and damages cars and roads. Although all animals need salt in their daily intake in order to be healthy, too much of it is potentially harmful, if not fatal, to them. For example, a human body needs salt in order to function. Humans need about five to six grams of salt daily to produce bodily fluids such as saliva, sweat, tears, and blood and if we don’t have enough salt, our bodies could shut down, leading to death. [2] Salt also negatively impacts other animals’ populations. The chemical chloride from salt causes the rates of survival for amphibians, crustaceans, some reptiles, fish, and other organisms to decrease. [3] Overall, salt is essential for life, but can be fatal if not used in moderation. …show more content…
Salt not only pollutes the water, but damages the ecosystems because the Great Lakes are freshwater sources and the Atlantic Ocean is full of saltwater; more salt will eventually decrease our freshwater sources. Salt affects water’s density, reduces oxygen circulation within water [4], and is harmful to aquatic animals, like it is to humans and other land animals. Because of this, sewage treatment plants and water treatment facilities have to filter out salt and other contaminants from used water before sending it back to water