Risk of road salt: This is how animals and the environment suffer from the winter curse!

Risk of road salt: This is how animals and the environment suffer from the winter curse!

Attersee, Österreich - Every winter more than 350,000 tons of road salt are used on Austria's streets and sidewalks. Against the cold temperatures and slippery conditions, it is greatly scattered, and this has far -reaching consequences for the environment and the wildlife. The environmental protection organization Greenpeace urgently warns of the dangerous effects of this breakfast. "The salt not only harms the floors and trees, but also poisoned our groundwater," said Adam Pawloff from Greenpeace. Sensitive plant species and pets, such as dogs and cats, are particularly exposed to the dangers, as are many wild animals. The road salt leads to painful damage to the paws of the animals, causes cracks and inflammation, and can even lead to salt poisoning, which can fatally end, warned the veterinarian Astrid Nagl.

road salt and its consequences for pets

As reported, the negative effects of road salt can cause serious health problems in pets. Dogs that lick the salt from their paws after a walk risk gastrointestinal diseases that can lead to vomiting, diarrhea or even life-threatening conditions. Pfizerde that small amounts of 2 grams of salt per kilogram of body weight are dangerous for dogs, while 4 grams can already be fatal. Accompanying people of dogs and cats should therefore clean the paws of the animals thoroughly and protect them preventively, for example by using paw wax or wearing dog shoes.

In order to minimize the negative consequences, there are alternatives to conventional road salt, such as sawdust, gravel or environmentally friendly stray, which are provided with the “Blue Angel” environmental sign. Certain communities in Austria, such as Attersee, are already making a good example and severely restrict the use of road salt. The sensitization of the public institutions for environmentally friendly winter services could be crucial to protect both nature and the animal population, according to Greenpeace and other experts.