Arsenic, River And Road Salt Under Examination
- Date:
- February 17, 1998
- Source:
- University Of Toronto
- Summary:
- Preliminary lab results show that road salt may extract arsenic out of the sediment at the bottom of rivers and lakes where arsenic is embedded.
- Share:
To most people, winter road salt is not one of Toronto's bragging rights. But to U of T researchers, road salt in Toronto -- specifically in the Don River -- is the key to a better understanding of arsenicand its mobility and toxicity in the environment.
Professor Miriam Diamond of geography and graduate student Mehran Monabbati of chemical engineering and applied chemistry have found the perfect location for their research. "We [in Ontario] apply a lot of salt on our roads, with Toronto alone using 150,000 tonnes a year," says Diamond. "The nearby Don Valley River becomes very salty because snow and salt drain into the riverway and that's how the two substances mix."
Much of the arsenic that is polluting water in North America has been dislodged during mining operations, says Diamond. When open pit mines are abandoned, they fill with rain and ground water, a process that releases the ground's naturally occurring arsenic into creeks and rivers. It is then absorbed by algae which transports it to the bottom where it stays until dislodged into the water again. The whole cycle repeats itself time and again.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University Of Toronto. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Cite This Page: