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ergonaut t1_j107k92 wrote

Well, I would hope we salt our roads more than our food!

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madmansmarker OP t1_j1082qa wrote

I feel I could have worded the title better. NH was the first place EVER to use salt on its roads (or at least in recorded history).

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wwarnout t1_j10hkk0 wrote

> I feel I could have worded the title better.

Also, that's a useless comparison. We don't eat our roads, and we don't worry about slippery food.

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madmansmarker OP t1_j10k0y2 wrote

clearly you've never made sourdough and forgotten the salt.

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jehedjchrie t1_j11i3va wrote

I think it’s just a surprising fact to people because salt is in almost everything we eat and a lot of places don’t get snow or ice so don’t salt the roads.

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mahabraja t1_j12eyxg wrote

I dono, if loony tunes is teaching anything, it's about the dangers of a banana peel.

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Zwazi t1_j12oi1m wrote

Yeah, and the fact that it's only 10x more salted than our food is a bit concerning. No wonder my blood pressure is so high.

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RobinsShaman t1_j10843b wrote

We really need to find an alternative. It poisons our lakes, steams, and any dirt's near the roads. And cars.

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epsileth t1_j108jcl wrote

Beet brine is an alternative, if you don't mind the murder scene look.

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mrjosemeehan t1_j10mxes wrote

Does that leave sugar rich residue? Because that could have serious environmental impacts itself.

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epsileth t1_j10n7pc wrote

Depends on the mix, but it is probably better than blasting the road with salt.

If you're on a highway with grass on one side, the beet brine doesn't kill plants, so that's a plus.

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madmansmarker OP t1_j109g3j wrote

if you have an image, THIS would make an interesting TIL post

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ash_274 t1_j10st25 wrote

Don't you have to put that down before it snows and it's not as effective as salt after the snow falls?

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epsileth t1_j10xaeb wrote

Before it snows, even after it lowers surface ice melting point.

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balls80082 t1_j11a5bm wrote

I made about 10000 gallons of liquid deicing agent w/ sugar beet today, I can assure you that about 20,000lbs of salt was dissolved, you can’t just use straight beet, 5000 gallons is like 12,000 dollars, it’s not a cost effective solution.

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Morall_tach t1_j109lpv wrote

They use cheese brine in some parts of the Midwest too.

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iBleeedorange t1_j10f17l wrote

Some places use sand

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wwarnout t1_j10iaus wrote

Our area does. It doesn't work quite as well as salt, but it isn't an environmental nightmare, either.

Remember the problem with the water in Flint? This was primarily due to their using salt on the roads, which washed off into streams, which in turn fed rivers - and Flint was getting their drinking water from these rivers.

The corrosive effect of the salty water was so bad that a local General Motors plant had to stop using it to wash their engine parts, because it was corroding the parts. So, imagine drinking that water.

Also, because it was so corrosive, it dissolved the lead in the pipes, which was the main reason it was such a disaster.

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cycleguychopperguy t1_j10r07x wrote

Never mind they didn't use proper corrosion inhibitors because it saved them money since no one was paying there bills....

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square3481 t1_j10rt8p wrote

One of the mayors of Seattle did that over a decade ago, and the bungled response caused him to lose the next election.

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i81u812 t1_j115jce wrote

The salt they used where I lived up in the mountains was agri-safe. I'd imagine most of it doesn't do this anymore but who knows.

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WesternOne9990 t1_j16he98 wrote

Big problem in Minnesota and I think the shallow aquifer under Madison Wisconsin is forever tainted and they recommend pre diabetic and diabetics don’t drink the tap water. (Iirc)

Also they recommend you grease your undercarriage every winter to minimize rust.

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Libertas-Vel-Mors t1_j10ag3c wrote

That's why so many cars in snowy states are rusted out

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Salvia_McLovin t1_j11unj8 wrote

yep all that water and salty shit corrodes metal over time. it's no bueno

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Fl1925 t1_j10rlpx wrote

That is why our roads have high blood pressure

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Killianti t1_j12985k wrote

You'll sometimes hear the news talk about clogged arteries during rush-hour snow storms. This combination of clogged arteries and high salt can raise blood pressure to lethal levels.

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sjk8990 t1_j10z1tx wrote

I thought most road salt was KCl and not table salt, NaCl.

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ElleHopper t1_j11pput wrote

The EPAs website says that NaCl is most commonly used as rock salt, MgCl2 is less efficient so is typically not used, and CaCl2 is used only in vulnerable areas due to the expense of it.

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Itaintall t1_j11m29o wrote

No wonder dad’s Rambler wagon had a hole the size of Lake Winnipesaukee in the floor!

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nightwing12 t1_j111via wrote

The roads don’t taste good unless you salt liberally

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SeiCalros t1_j115ikg wrote

my family uses nitrogen salts

100% nitrogen fertilizer clears the walkway and doesnt kill the plants

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critfist t1_j129i50 wrote

My worry is that it could lea h into lake and ocean water and cause algae blooms. It sounds fine though in most cases.

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Renomont t1_j10z44x wrote

Did they miss pretzel manufacturing?

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mindfu t1_j11ypwn wrote

I'm sure we use enough sugar in foods to dwarf the amount of salt on the roads.

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PhysicsIsFun t1_j11b69g wrote

I don't think they used salt on the roads in Wisconsin when I was a kid (50s and 60s). The roads seemed to always have packed snow on them. I lived in LaCrosse and we would sled down roads on the bluffs. They did spread sand. Which was no doubt more environmentally sound, but did not do a good job of clearing the ice and packed snow.

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DangoQueenFerris t1_j12fmvy wrote

I was under the impression sand was just to give traction. Nothing to do with melting snow.

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RadomirPutnik t1_j12oweg wrote

It can help melt ever so slightly with some sunlight (due to the darker color), but you are correct that melting is not really part of the equation.

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Greene_Mr t1_j11ika9 wrote

Yes. So don't taste the roads.

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valeyard89 t1_j11ksh0 wrote

Well yeah, roads aren't very tasty otherwise.

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bignateyk t1_j11pvsl wrote

During Covid we visited a zoo that normally had a bus ride safari. During Covid they let you drive your car through follow-the-leader style.

I had just driven through some snowy weather to get there so I had salt all over my car. The entire safari a group of bison was following my car around using it like a giant salt lick.

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Salvia_McLovin t1_j11uhfs wrote

it's also fucking up bodies of water since all that salt gets washed into runoff and that ends up in lakes and rivers and changes the salinity for the worse

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LastEngill t1_j146y6a wrote

that's why the sea water is so salty.....

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JamesUpton87 t1_j14ljpe wrote

I'd be suprised if that wasn't true.

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DestaNations t1_j17ea1q wrote

They don't salt them in Montana

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redthreadzen t1_j1pnc1i wrote

The car industry really loves the use of salt. It makes sure cars rust at an astonishing rate.

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DoctorWTF t1_j11m9rn wrote

10 times as much salt on the roads, as in processed foods??

How the fuck is that even supposed to be a comparison that means anything?

Please get your fucking shit together, and use some god damned standard measurement units!

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lcarsadmin t1_j10mijo wrote

Thats only because they've been reducing sodium in processed foods ;)

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