Rust Never Sleeps
The skies are growing darker, as are the forecasts, and soon snow will be falling. Salt flakes will also fill the air, and later the water. Not just our vehicles are affected.
Concern about salt pollution was raised in two articles that came out around the same time last spring and I happened to notice them; one was about Muskoka to the north of us and the other New York state to the south. Consider this another public service announcement (PSA).
"Muskoka First in Ontario to Call for Provincial Action on Road Salt Pollution: Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition Also Raising Issue with Conservation Authority, City of Barrie, Town of Georgina" Staff, Orillia Matters - news release, Mar. 19, 2025. Here are some of the important bits:
"As the dust settles from the provincial election, Muskoka is wasting no time when it comes to tackling road salt impacts. On Monday, Muskoka became the first Ontario jurisdiction to pass a resolution declaring the need for provincial action on salt pollution from road salt. The District of Muskoka council passed a resolution which asks the province to both advance limited liability for the snow and ice management sector and to create a stakeholder advisory committee to advise the province on managing salt pollution in Ontario’s lakes and rivers.he resolution was initiated and moved by Muskoka District chair Jeff Lehman, who issued the following statement: “The district is pleased to work with local cottage associations, the landscaping industry, and environmental groups to help mitigate the impacts of salt and ensure the right amount is used in the right way in the right places. Building on previous district work and commitments, we look forward to continuing to improve lake health and provide leadership in reducing the environmental impact of road salt in Muskoka.”...
Ontario is Canada’s No. 1 user of winter salt, applying approximately two million to three million tonnes of salt each winter. Road salt is a known toxic substance designated under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act because of tangible threats including serious, irreversible environmental and public health damages. Other impacts to drinking water sources, critical public infrastructure (roads, bridges, buildings), and private property are also important concerns. Currently, there are no provincial policies or regulations for road salts, including no salt use standards, required training, enforcement mechanisms, or protections against salt pollution....
Municipalities, conservation authorities, non-governmental organizations, and businesses alike have been warning about the growing impact of salt pollution and oversalting for decades, to no avail. Now, they’re banding together to ensure this issue gets the attention and action it needs.
The reaction to this move was positive and more details are provided in: "Very positive response’: Residents’ Group Applauds Muskoka Council’s Decision on Road Salt Issue: Resolution Aims to Reduce Usage While Ensuring Road and Sidewalk Safety Concerns About ncreasing Chloride Levels in Lakes rompted Action," Brent Cooper, Muskokaregion.com., March 22, 2025:
"A representative from a Muskoka group concerned with the region’s environment is applauding a District of Muskoka move to tackle the ongoing issue of road salt in area lakes.
Here’s what you need to know
Jim Davis, who is a director with the Gull and Silver Lakes Residents’ Association, is praising the district council’s passing of a resolution on March 17, which commits its ongoing efforts toward the reduction of road salt as much as possible, while maintaining safety on roads and sidewalks.“Protecting the water quality of our lakes is the No. 1 concern for our association,” he said after the March meeting. “The continued use of road salt, resulting in every-increasing chloride levels, poses a serious threat to the lake health of Gull and Silver Lakes, and lakes throughout Muskoka. The resolution passed by district council is a very positive response to an environmental problem that is entirely man-made.”
The New York State Salt Situation
Here is the other article, which indicates that the problem is widespread in snowy northern regions:
"Salty Suburban Roads Are Clouding the Future of N.Y.C. Drinking Water: A new environmental report finds that rising salt levels in New York City’s water supply could make some of it undrinkable by the turn of the century," Hilary Howard, New York Times, March 25, 2025.
"Road salt is leaching into the reservoirs that hold New York City’s tap water and could make some of it unhealthy to drink by the turn of the century, according to a new study commissioned by city environmental officials….“We just need people who operate roads to start realizing that this is a chemical that we are adding to our environment, and we have to take that seriously,” Mr. Aggarwala said.
Road salt is cheap and plentiful, but it is also dangerous for the environment and corrosive for infrastructure. New York City’s pristine tap water is a source of pride among residents and local leaders. Most of it, about 90 percent, comes from rural areas in the Catskill Mountains, a range that extends more than 125 miles north of New York City. It represents the largest unfiltered water supply in the United States."
The study mentioned is this one and it has a literature review: “Salinity Management Assessment”, Bureau of Water Supply, NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection, March 21, 2025, 35 page pdf.
More recently, the problem is not salty water, but the shortage of drinking water. Just two examples from the east and the west:
"What Happens When the Well Runs Dry? After Months of Drought, Nova Scotians are Finding Out," Barry Rueger, Special to The Globe and Mail, Oct.1, 2025
and:
"As Water Dries up in Northeast B.C., Some Want Industry Paying More to Pump the Precious Resource," Matt Preprost,CBC, Nov. 2, 2025.
Of course, out in B.C. the salmon are also affected by the salt:
"B.C. Researchers Find Road Salt Most Toxic to Salmon During 24 hours After Egg Fertilization; The updated research reveals how road salt is also having a negative effect on developing chum salmon," Tiffany Crawford, Vancouver Sun, Nov. 2, 2025.
The Bonus:
I generally make fun of the notion of "breaking news", but these stories just broke as this was being written, the point being that, the lack of water is even a local problem.
" $400M Water Upgrade Needed as St. Thomas Industrial Boom Spikes Demand: If the provincial government does not help, water users, including homeowners and businesses, will pay more," London Free Press, Nov.6, 2025.
‘We Were Not Expecting it for Another 30 Years’: $400 million water plant expansion for PowerCo could sink municipal finances," Byan Bicknell, CTV News, Nov.6, 2025
The Bright Side: A Reminder
The clouds remain and I began thinking about how much we complain. It is time to remind ourselves that maybe things aren't so bad, or perhaps as bad as things once were. See, "The Bright Side" presented earlier in MM where I suggested that the musings of the philosopher Eric Idle can help us be a bit more positive.
Given that, oddly enough, I have never gotten around to writing about goiters, I will use them to suggest that with regard to health care, things are surely better, even if you are waiting in line to get some. The picture above is from the 1930s and it is likely that the swelling around the woman's face is evidence of an enlarged thyroid gland. It is also the case that she may not have lived near a nail salon since a manicure is needed.
An Iodine Anniversary
The lack of iodine is responsible for the enlargement of the thyroid and the diminishment of intelligence. In 1924 it was put into table salt to make up for the iodine deficiencies experienced in our area. As a salt appreciator and contrarian, I suggest we celebrate the 100th anniversary of iodized salt. 
As with most subjects, you have good reasons to doubt my expertise, so here is what you need to know about goiters and iodine:
"How the Arrival of Iodized Salt 100 Years Ago Changed America: On May 1,1924, the First Iodized Salt Appeared On Shelves, Quickly Solving an Iodine Deficiency Crisis that Plagued the Northern U.S. 'Goiter Belt'," Ray Cavanaugh, Washington Post, May 1, 2024.
In the early 20th century, iodine deficiency was ravaging much of the northern United States. The region was widely known as the “goiter belt,” for the goiters — heavily swollen thyroid glands — that bulged from many residents’ necks. The issue was more than cosmetic: Iodine deficiency during pregnancy and lactation often led to children with severely diminished IQ and other permanent neurological impairments. And Michigan was at the epicenter of the crisis.The soil there didn’t have much iodine. Nor did the freshwater Great Lakes. And so the inhabitants didn’t have much iodine, either. The prevalence of iodine deficiency in the state became strikingly apparent after the outbreak of World War I. Simon Levin, the medical examiner for the draft board in Michigan’s Houghton County, observed that more than 30 percent[link] of registrants had a demonstrably enlarged thyroid, which could disqualify them from military service. In fact, it was the leading cause of medical disqualification in northern Michigan."
If you are now interested in this subject see: "A Grain of Salt," by Howard Markel and "History of U.S. Iodine Fortification and Supplementation," by Leung, et al.
There is some discussion about how iodine was introduced into the food supply and I would think that now both the Canadian and U.S. governments would experience some difficulty in convincing many citizens that such a policy was warranted.
The photograph at the top is from, You Have Seen Their Faces, by Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke-White. There are many faces pictured and all of them suggest that maybe things are not so bad for us.
For more about Caldwell, see "American Folkways and Erskine Caldwell" in MM.
