Weboveruse of road salts to melt away snow and ice is threatening human health and the environment as they wash into drinking water sources, and new research from the. Winter's $2. 3 billion game changer. With cities across the united states facing one of the most brutal winters in recent memory, the use of road salt can. 12, 2021 — when winter storms threaten to make travel dangerous, people often turn to salt to melt snow and ice. Road salt is an important tool for safety, but a new study.