Salt, otherwise known as NaCl on the periodic table, is one of the most powerful solvents. Salt is used for many everyday purposes such as culinary reasons, road ice melting, and water conditioning. There are several different types of burns from salt. One prominent type is a freezer burn. I experienced this type of burn on a dare while in grade school. It was pretty juvenile but I now realize the burning power salt has as the burn is still somewhat visible on my forearm. Salt is such a powerful compound that when exposed to an open wound, the person with the wound will likely experience enormous pain. This is why it is generally not encouraged for those with serious wounds to swim in the oceans.
Road salt, on the other hand, is used for thawing roads in areas with cold climates. This melting of ice allows drivers to navigate their cars safely without worrying about sliding. However, it is important for these drivers to remember to wash their car every once in a while. The reason for this is that if the salt is left on the body of the car, it can cause rusting. This rusting will greatly reduce the life span of the vehicle in question.
Salt can provide an important history lesson. Way back before there were refrigerators and suitable containers, people had to preserve excess meats by covering them in salt. The salt prevented these meats from rotting by serving as a guard against harmful bacteria. Without salt, these people likely would have had a very difficult time making sure no meat was wasted because it could not be eaten quickly enough.
Many people use salt at the dinner table to add a little zest to whatever we are eating. However, most of us have a limit on how much salt we put on the food. Too much salt often tastes bitter and makes the meal less enjoyable.
Finally, salts are used in our drinking water to keep the bacteria from thriving. This is why water in Mexico is not suitable for Americans to drink because it has not been treated as extensively. When I was in Mexico last summer, we were required to drink only the purified water and we could not drink from any faucet.
There are other health concerns with salt. A common one is overeating salt. This can cause problems such as muscle cramping, osteoporosis and even stomach cancer! One suicide method in China is the overdose of salt. 1/1000th of a person’s weight in salt is enough to kill you.
All of these issues relate to the dangers of burning salt. You should definitely think of the possible consequences the next time you dump salt on something.
