We have a salt problem, and we're not referring to our diets. As effective as salt is at de-icing our highways in the winter, new research reveals that its extensive use is also causing damage to freshwater ecosystems.
What's more, saltwater concentrations deemed safe by regulators in the US, Canada, and Europe aren't doing enough to protect marine life. The biodiversity and normal functioning of these ecosystems are now under serious threat.
"Salt concentrations are rising in lakes and rivers across North America and Europe over recent decades due to road de-icing,"from the University of California San Diego."The study suggests that the levels considered safe need to be revised downward." Even at the thresholds deemed safe – 230 milligrams of chloride per liter in the US and 120 milligrams of chloride per liter in Canada – there was significant loss of zooplankton and an increase in algae. Thresholds in Europe were typically higher.Zooplankton is a key food source for young fish, and its disappearance has a major knock-on effect. At 73 percent of the sites, more than half the zooplankton population was killed off at salt concentration levels approved in Canada and in the US.
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