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Winter woes

January 6, 2010

Heavy snowfall in large parts of Germany has prompted many to use salt to melt snow and ice from slippery roads. But experts warn that the excessive use of road salt could cause irreversible damage to the environment.

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Roads covered with snow
Road salt can help combat icy roads but it has an environmental downsideImage: AP

Icy conditions in Germany have seen sidewalks and roads across the country being dumped with tons of salt in an effort to avoid accidents. Many city councils claim they cannot keep streets safe enough for drivers.

An estimated 1.59 million tons of road salt on average are applied on public roadways in Germany each year, according to the salt industry.

But climate experts say the road salt, which frequently contains dyes and other chemicals, actually causes more environmental harm than it does good. Worse, it can adversely affect a widespread area long after winter has passed.

Salt can kill trees, experts say

"Salt belongs on a breakfast egg, not on the sidewalks," Martin Ittershagen of the German Federal Environmental Agency told AFP.

A large pothole in the street with salt and ice in it. A car is driving by on the left of the hole.
Salt damages roads and the trees that line themImage: picture-alliance/ ZB

Ittershagen said the alkaline salt can seep into the ground, causing unforeseen damage when snow melts during the early spring.

Once in the ground, the salt chokes out plant nutrients and can kill trees by damaging the ability of alkali-sensitive plants from absorbing water. Trees such as maple, linden, and chestnut trees that usually line German boulevards are the worst affected.

Studies have also found that road salt puts a strain on local animal species. A US study in 2005 found that high salt concentrations affected the ability of wood frogs and spotted salamanders to survive, with eggs and embryos dying in experiments when subjected to high salt concentrations.

Salt industry rebuffs claims

With more snow forecast this month, climate experts such as Ittershagen are urging people to use "environmentally-friendly alternatives" such as special snow brooms and salt-free substances such as sand and gravel to de-ice the roads.

That, he said, would prevent salt's negative impacts without sacrificing public safety.

But Germany's salt industry claims that the environmental downside of salting roads is exaggerated given that the country has cut down on the use of road salt in recent years.

"Environmental damage has reduced sharply in the past few years because less salt is being used more strategically," Dieter Krueger, a spokesman for the Association of Pot Ash and Salt Industry (VKS), said.

He pointed out that Germany had dropped the practice of excessively salting roads after massive environmental damage in the 1960s and 1970s.

Krueger said that local authorities were also moistening the salt before applying it to roads - a practice that reduced salt content by 40 percent, he claimed.

Gmb/AFP/APD
Editor: Sonia Phalnikar