Recent research has shown that road salt can be an environmental hazard in many ways. It damages infrastructures, it pollutes local streams, soil and groundwater, and it can be poisonous to wildlife. Very little research has been done to determine exactly how road salt impacts our local Dearborn area – until now.
     A new and innovative project is underway in Dearborn. Tentatively entitled “The Salt Project, ”it involves students and faculty at HFCC, and scientists at Ford Motor Company.  Students Naseem Daher, Ziyad,

Elassel, David Frank, Louise Funke  Alhaj Maher, Shannon Moore, and Ruqaia Muradagha along with HFCC instructors Rick Bailey, Linda Brandt, Mike Daher, Charles Jacobs, and Tom Kelley met with scientists Roscoe Carter, Mike Cavaretta, Erin Clausing, Mark Everson, Tom Montgomery, Bill Schneider, and Craig Stephan at the Ford Research and Advanced Engineering Scientific Research Lab on Friday, October 24, 2003. The purpose of the meeting was to pioneer a collaborative effort between Ford Motor Co. and HFCC in the study of the effects of road salt run off on our local environment.
     Prior to the meeting, students did research and collected information on what was known about road salt. After some informal introductions and an extensive tour of the research labs, the students presented the information they had collected to the scientists. Each student researched different aspects of road salt, and together they presented a very well rounded collection of data. David Frank worked toward developing a “Salt Project” web page. A few students researched chemical alternatives to road salt, while others researched the advantages and disadvantages of using road salt in winter. Some of the disadvantages were quite surprising.
     Vast salt mines located beneath much of the Metro Detroit Area provide an inexpensive and ample supply of road salt for us to use each winter. Salt from the mines can be impure and can contain various heavy metals like mercury, which can leach into our soil and water supply. Prussian blue, a chemical used on road salt as an anti-caking agent, contains ferrocyanide which is relatively harmless. Unfortunately, ferrocyanide can release free-cyanide, a highly toxic substance, into water and air when it reacts with sunlight. Road salt can also get into the drinking water. It can corrode household plumbing and release metals into tap water, and it can raise sodium levels far above governmental standards for sodium intake. Road salt can also harden soil and make it difficult for water to get to plant roots. Many salt tolerant plants now inhabit our local roadsides.
     The intention of "The Salt Project” is to find out if and how road salt impacts the local Dearborn area. The project will begin by testing water samples for various impurities and salt content from a section of the Rouge River that runs between HFCC campus and Ford World Headquarters. Ford Motor Scientists and HFCC faculty will work side by side with students developing experiments and collecting data.
     This will be a long-term project that will include new students and other participants as the project moves along. The group mentioned above are the first to get this project off the ground. In the years to come, other students and faculty will join the project and build upon the research that this group has started.
     “The Salt Project” has some very exciting possibilities. If this research is published, it will be an excellent opportunity for the students involved. This project and the people involved are taking the necessary first steps to provide a better, safer environment for the future of Dearborn. Hopefully the results of this research will spread to other communities, and perhaps one day provide a healthier environment for people everywhere.

Henry Ford Community College
5101 Evergreen Road
Dearborn, MI 48128
www.hfcc.edu