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Experts on Camera

Dr. Sujay Kaushal: The harms of too much road salt

SciLine interviews experts and then makes the video and other resources rapidly available for TV newsrooms to use on air.

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Applying salt can make icy or snowy roads and sidewalks safer—but the estimated 25 million tons that are applied each year can damage the environment, drinking water, and more—an issue of particular interest during Salt Awareness Week (Jan. 26-30). On January 28, 2026, SciLine interviewed Dr. Sujay Kaushal, a professor of geology and earth system science at the University of Maryland.

TV bundle includes:

  • Soundbite (SOT)
  • VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)
  • Raw, full-length interview video & log with timecodes (upon request via form below)

These resources are free to use. No attribution to SciLine is required.

Soundbite (SOT) and pronouncer

Downloadable video of the soundbite

High definition (mp4, 1280x720)

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Click for VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)

ANCHOR
WHEN SNOW, SLEET AND ICE FALL… APPLYING SALT MAKES THE ROADS AND SIDEWALKS SAFER… FOR CARS AND PEOPLE.
BUT WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL THAT SALT… AFTER IT WASHES AWAY?

VO
DOCTOR SUJAY KAUSHAL… A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND… STUDIES WHAT HAPPENS TO THE TWENTY-MILLION-TONS OF SALT…THAT ARE APPLIED TO ROADS EVERY YEAR.

SOT
Duration: 0:42
Super: Dr. Sujay Kaushal, Professor at the University of Maryland
“People think when there’s a road salt event, it just goes away, but it’s actually stored in the dirt and the sediment of the water supply. And so we have these increasing trends. And in some cases, the chloride concentrations have quadrupled within 20 years. And there are some drinking water supplies where there’s threats in terms of whether we can use that water or not. So some of the effects that it has are people have hypertensive disorders. So if you have sodium, people are on sodium restricted diets, they don’t always know that they’re getting excess sodium in their water and that can contribute to hypertensive disorders.”

VO
IN ADDITION TO CAUSING SALTY DRINKING WATER… DOCTOR KAUSHAL SAYS EXCESS ROAD SALT HARMS AGRICULTURE… INFRASTRUCTURE…AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
TO REDUCE SALT RUNOFF… DOCTOR KAUSHAL SAYS MODERN SALT TRUCKS CAN BE CALIBRATED TO USE LESS SALT… AND HOMEOWNERS CAN APPLY SALT SPARINGLY… AND PRIORITIZE GOOD OLD FASHIONED SHOVELING.

Raw, full-length interview covers:

  • Data trends on salt runoff from roads and other sources;
  • How excess salt runoff can impact local drinking water, aquatic life, infrastructure, energy production, agriculture, and water quality;
  • His research on how the human-caused “salt cycle” affects the natural environment; and
  • Effective alternatives to road salt—including grit or beet juice—and, for those who do apply salt, strategies to use less of it.

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