COPING WITH WINTER Salt & frostbite: 1)You’re at risk of frostbite in this bitterly cold weather. Here’s what to know; 2)When big snow and ice blow in, most people reach for salt. There are ways to reduce its harms;

Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press

By Alexa St. John and Caleigh Wells, January 23, 2026

Winter has its fans, but even those who enjoy playing in the snow probably dislike the chore of clearing up after a big storm that dumps several inches or even feet of snow and ice.

It’s easy to dash to the closest hardware store to grab a bag of salt, but experts say there are a lot of environmental and other factors to consider when tackling all that ice and snow.

Here’s what to know.

What kinds of salt are out there?

Rock salt, also known as sodium chloride, is the cheapest and most commonly used product. But it’s not great for the environment and it’s not the most effective option out there.

“There’s a chart we reference that’s chemical effectiveness at certain temperatures. And really, when you get to about 15 degrees or colder, you can keep applying more and more rock salt and it’s not going to do any more than it already does,” said Martin Tirado, CEO of the Snow and Ice Management Association, a trade group for industry professionals.

In those conditions, other products — calcium chloride, magnesium chloride — release heat that helps the salt work better, Tirado said.

The different formulations vary in other ways, too, including how quickly they work, their corrosiveness and how they interact with moisture. Calcium chloride and magnesium chloride can cost at least twice as much as rock salt.

But all contain chlorides that can pollute fresh water, damage shrubs, trees and grass and crumble concrete sidewalks, stoops and driveways.

Blends and coatings can reduce the corrosive nature and environmental hazards of these salts, experts say.

Calcium manganese acetate is one of the tamest de-icing products out there, developed specifically to replace rock salt and be more environmentally friendly. It is biodegradable, a corrosion inhibitor, and typically used as a liquid. But it is much more expensive and can still create issues with dissolved oxygen on bodies of water.

What about those environmental effects?

Pamela Bennett, a horticulture professor at Ohio State, said rock salt is the worst for plants. It gets them in two ways: through the roots and through the air.

Salt percolates through the soil. When plants start to draw in salty water in the spring, that dries roots, leading to dry leaves. Brown tips on leaves indicate the soil might have gotten too salty.

Salt can also reach plant foliage — in the winter, that’s evergreens — directly when it’s carried by mist and spray. That’s an issue that’s worse on major roads as a lot of traffic moves quickly.

“When you have a lot of road salt on the highways, cars are splashing and wind blows it. That salt turns into what looks like a burn,” Bennett says.

What about my pets?

Most people walking their dog in snowy places have seen what happens when they walk across a heavy salt treatment — stopping suddenly and lifting a paw as if in pain.

“Their paw pads get dry or they get little cuts because those crystals are sharp, and then they’re chewing them because that’s the only way they know to make it feel better,” said Alison Manchester, an assistant clinical sciences professor at Cornell University. If they swallow enough salt, it can lead to vomiting, too.

For some people, animal safety is a strong reason to look to a nonsalt option against ice and snow.

So what are my nonsalt alternatives?

Abrasives such as gravel and sand can help with grip, so pedestrians and tires are less likely to slip. But they also come with their own problems.

Sand that runs off into freshwater bodies — lakes, streams and rivers — can kill natural growth, Tirado said.

Sand can also accumulate in your soil, eventually becoming a problem for plant growth. It can even make a type of concrete when it mixes in clay-heavy soils, experts say.

Unconventional solutions are out there. You can buy a de-icer that wraps its chlorides in beet juice or beet extract that coats the granules for a variety of benefits, including melting ice faster, working in colder temperatures and staying where it’s put. And a Korean company, Star’s Tech, is working with material taken from invasive starfish to produce a de-icer that it says more slowly releases chloride material and thus avoids some of the corrosion and environmental problems of salt.

Be ready to shovel more than once — and don’t over-apply

Experts say preparation and strategy can make clearing ice easier. That starts with watching forecasts to see how much snow is expected.

“People wait until after the storm to start shoveling,” Tirado said. “That’s fine if you’re having 1 to 2 inches. If you start getting 3, 4 or more inches than that, you can’t wait … you need to go out multiple times. That way it keeps the paved surface more clear in a productive and proactive manner.”

Ground temperature matters. If it’s warmer, you may be able to use less than you think you need. Colder ground temperatures might require more.

Proper application of whatever you put on your sidewalk or driveway is important, too.

“The key here is to not use too much and scatter it too much,” said David Orr, director of the Local Roads Program at Cornell. “We also do probably need to get into the habit that it may not be perfectly bare and that can be OK.”

2)You’re at risk of frostbite in this bitterly cold weather. Here’s what to know

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Nicole Ireland, Jan. 24, 2026.

As bitterly cold temperatures plunge much of the country into a deep freeze, emergency doctors and public health experts are warning people to protect themselves from frostbite.

In some parts of Canada where winters aren’t always this frigid, people may not realize that frostbite is “a real risk that can happen to anybody” when the temperature drops, said Dr. Sahil Gupta, an emergency physician at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

“I trained in Edmonton. We saw frostbite a lot more than I do here,” he said.

“But with the cold spells that we have had, especially going into this weekend, I think we need to be prepared.”

WHAT IS FROSTBITE?

Frostbite happens when the skin freezes.

The early stage of frostbite is called frostnip, when there is not yet any permanent damage to the skin.

“Mild frostbite tends to look sort of like a sunburn,” said Dr. Kate Hayman, medical director of the Toronto General emergency department at University Health Network.

The skin often looks red, but can also be pale until it’s warmed up and then becomes red, she said.

More serious frostbite is characterized by grey or “dusky” skin and sometimes blisters, Hayman said.

The skin can also feel unusually hard and waxy, as well as tingly and numb, said Gupta.

In severe cases, the skin turns darker blue or black, he said.

Blood carrying oxygen can’t get to the area because the cold has damaged the blood vessels

When the skin turns black, the skin tissue is dying and in some cases amputation is needed.

WHAT PARTS OF THE BODY ARE PRONE TO FROSTBITE?

Frostnip and frostbite can affect any area of exposed skin, including the face, ears, hands and feet, according to the Toronto Public Health website.

“Prolonged exposure to extreme cold is of particular concern for extremities, such as fingers and toes,” the website says.

Frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin, especially with wind chill, Environment Canada’s website says.

HOW CAN I PREVENT FROSTBITE?

“We’re urging everybody to limit the amount of time that they spend outside” during the extreme cold, said Marc-Antoine Deschamps, superintendent of public information for the Ottawa Paramedic Service, on Friday.

“If you have to go outside, it’s important that you dress in layers, that you put on multiple layers to really trap the heat close to your body,” he said.

Don’t forget a hat, neck warmer, gloves or mittens and boots that aren’t too tight to allow good circulation to your feet, Deschamps advised.

Dr. Howard Shapiro, associate medical officer of health for Toronto Public Health, recommended choosing mittens over gloves because they keep the fingers warmer.

People who must work outside should take regular breaks to warm up, Environment Canada’s website advises.

People who are homeless are at especially high risk of severe frostbite, Hayman said.

“Amputation is much more common among people who are homeless than those who are housed,” she said.

“Early care is critical.”

The city of Toronto has opened warming centres, including “surge sites,” to help shelter people who are homeless during the extreme cold.

Matthew Bradica, a public health inspector with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, said it was minus 47 with wind chill in Thunder Bay, Ont., on Friday.

He urged people to take extra precautions if they’re venturing out in the cold, even if it’s to do “ordinary things” like errands.

“You could be on your way to the grocery store (and) you can get a flat tire,” Bradica said.

He said people should keep an emergency kit in their car that includes extra layers of clothing, hats, gloves and mittens — as well as jumper cables, shovels and windshield scrapers.

“You want to get out of the cold as soon as you possibly can,” Bradica said.

WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE SIGNS OF FROSTBITE?

“Getting out of the cold and early rewarming are the most important things that people can do,” said Hayman.

Many cases are mild and can be managed at home, she said.

People should immerse the affected areas — usually the hands or feet — in warm water for at least half an hour until the skin feels soft again. It’s important to keep the area clean in case there are wounds.

If there is an ongoing change in sensation, such as numbness, or change in skin colour after it’s been rewarmed, people should seek medical attention, Hayman said.

Blisters are also a warning sign that there may be deeper injury to the skin, Gupta said.

Shapiro said it’s important that once you warm the affected area, you don’t go back out into the cold where it can freeze again.

“That’s going to lead to more damage. You really want to try and get somewhere warm and get help,” he said.

Both Hayman and Gupta said too often, people with frostbite don’t come into the emergency department until a few days after they were exposed to the cold.

“We really need to initiate treatment within 24 to 48 hours to reduce the risk of amputation,” Hayman said.

“We would really like to see these cases earlier rather than later in emergency departments.”

HOW IS FROSTBITE TREATED IN HOSPITAL?

Doctors can use medications that improve blood circulation so the blood reaches the frostbitten areas and sometimes prevent the need for amputation.

Those medications include iloprost — which widens and relaxes the blood vessels — and thrombolytics, which are the same class of drugs used to bust clots when people have heart attacks or strokes.