Natural Planet
by Deb Percival
A monthly compendium of tips, thoughts, and updates about our shared home.
Ice Melt: It can be Bad for You, the Environment and Pets
Y
our driveway looks like a skating Best Ice Melt Ingredients: According to Another alternative that looks ac-
rink. What to do? Think the answer the Natural Resources Defense Council ceptable, using magnesium chloride
is clear as crystal? Think again. If (NRDC), the best ice melt ingredient is hexahydrate as the primary ingredient,
you’re buying standard ice-melt, you’re Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA). is Earth Friendly Products Ice Melt.
on a slippery slope from an environmen- CMA is more expensive than other com- Paws Applause Ice Melt contained
tal perspective! mercial alternatives, but new production controversial ingredients, but it has
Ice melts usually contain salt, in the methods may soon make it more afford- fans.
form of sodium chloride (also known able. NRDC lists potassium acetate (KA) Inferno Ice Melter “includes” CMA,
as Rock Salt), potassium chloride and as another promising alternative, al- but I couldn’t find a full ingredients list.
calcium chloride. These compounds be- though some new studies suggest it might I haven’t tried these products and
come troublesome at high levels. be damaging to waterways. NRDC’s next can’t endorse them. Also, it’s likely that
Salt-based ice melt products can ir- favorite is calcium chloride, which can there are other ‘green’ ice melts. If you
ritate your children’s eyes, sicken your be used in smaller amounts than sodium know of good ones I’d love to hear about
pets, kill vegetation and marine life, and chloride. Other sources list magnesium them, and will pass the information
pollute water supplies (including your chloride as a relatively safe salt, in that it along in a future column.
well). In addition, they can cause per- is less corrosive than sodium chloride. Disturbingly, there are many prod-
manent damage to pavers, asphalt, con- ucts that claim to be eco- and/or pet-
crete, wood decks, floors and rugs. Urea is sometimes promoted as a eco- friendly, but they use the harshest salt
friendly de-icer, but is a "nutrient" that - sodium chloride – as the active ingredi-
Safer Alternatives can cause lakes and ponds to eutrophy. ent, or never list their ingredients at all!
NRDC says, “do not use it.” Many supermarkets, discount stores
Shovel: There is no perfect ice-melt. With Many products use several de-icing and pet stores sell products that claim
a little extra shoveling, perhaps you can agents. A mix of sodium chloride or cal- to be eco- and/or pet-friendly, and many
avoid ice melts all together. cium chloride and CMA or KA is better are, but some are not, so do read the la-
than one of the salts alone. bels before you buy!
Traction: Sometimes just having traction
is good enough. Kitty litter, sand, saw- Products:
dust, and ashes are less toxic than de- Wallet Card for Acceptable Ice Melts
icers and are inexpensive, although still There are several commercial prod- Safe Paws Ice Melter
imperfect. Ashes can make a mess, but ucts that appear to meet the above cri- Icex CMA De-icer
can be used on your driveway while you teria – Safe Paws Ice Melter has a lot of Happy Paws Ice Melt
use a tidier alternative near the door. fans. Ingredients are patented and pro- Keep it Green Snow & Ice Melter
Sand can be hard on floors and carpets, prietary, and listed only as “an amide IceClear
but so is salt. If you do use sand, it’s best and a glycol,” but many green websites Natural Alternative Ice Melt
to use small quantities (always a good mention this product. It’s available at Earth Friendly Products Ice Melt
idea) and to collect it afterwards so it Wal-Mart, Sams, at many pet stores and Paws Applause Ice Melt
doesn’t cause sedimentation in wetlands grocery stores, and at
safepaw.com. This Inferno Ice Melter
or clog storm sewage systems. is the one I’m going to try. It sounds
good, and is available locally. Comments and questions can be sent to
Eco-friendly: There are “eco-friendly” Others that look good include Icex
DebP@naturalnutmeg.com
and “pet friendly” alternatives (if it’s pet- CMA De-icer and Happy Paws Ice Melt,
friendly it’s probably eco-friendly too, both at www.greenicemelt.com; Keep
Author Deb Percival is a writer who
and vice versa), but it is critical to read it Green Snow & Ice Melter at (http://
is highly concerned about the earth,
the ingredients. Do not trust the claims!
www.dartsp.com/kig.htm); and Ice-
sustainability, and her dog’s paws. Deb
Clear at
http://www.outsidepride.com/
has more than 25 years of experience
How to Apply: Get the best results with ice-melt/liquid-ice-melt.html. Smart-
in the field of strategic communica-
the least ice-melt by applying products
2begreen.com reports that Natural Al-
tions planning and implementation. She
founded her own firm, Percival Commu-
(salt-based or eco-friendly) before the ternative Ice Melt (http://www.icemelter.
nications, in 1981, which became the
storm. More is not better – you won’t get com/Benefits.htm) has a long shelf life
largest firm in Northern Connecticut.
better or faster results. and does not contain sodium or calcium
Her writing has received numerous lo-
chloride.
cal, national and international awards.
54 NaturalNutmeg
www.naturalnutmeg.com
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