Author Topic: Paw Safe Ice Melter - how safe is it, really?  (Read 1482 times)

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Offline Middle Child

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Paw Safe Ice Melter - how safe is it, really?
« on: June 06, 2015, 08:07:15 AM »
I bought a large bucket of this stuff last winter.  I've up until now survived without any ice melter but as I get older I feel I want more protection from icy spots.  My cats don't go out in winter, and they wouldn't be walking where I used it even if they did, but I wanted something I didn't have to worry about tracking in the house.

The first picture shows what happened to the grass in the area I used it most heavily, which is right in front of my doorway.  There's a drip from the porch roof that keeps that area solid ice all winter. It did a great job melting the ice, but look what it did to my grass.  this picture was taken on May 17.  Now, three weeks later, there is still no grass growing there.

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Paw Safe Ice Melter - how safe is it, really?
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2015, 08:10:24 AM »
But get this...I have a flag stone walk which I used to keep clear of grass myself.  It's backbreaking work and the last few years I have been unable to manage it.  I wondered what the PAW SAFE ice melt would do.

So I did this: (before and after pics)


Offline Middle Child

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Re: Paw Safe Ice Melter - how safe is it, really?
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2015, 08:11:54 AM »
That was on May 31st.  We had some rain.

I took this June 4:




Offline Pookie

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Re: Paw Safe Ice Melter - how safe is it, really?
« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2015, 10:02:35 AM »
http://www.safepaw.com/faq.html

Quote
  Safe Paw is a patented dual-effect compound, made up of crystalline amide core infused with special glycols. 

Quote
Safe Paw 100% salt-free. Its patented dual-effect compound, made up of crystalline amide core infused with special glycols, provides a non-corrosive composition with two-way timed-release action. The liquid component starts melting ice instantly while breaking its surface tension and works up to two degrees below zero.

Glycol is in the alcohol family, which is probably what's killing the grass.  http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/236134/glycol

Quote
Glycol, any of a class of organic compounds belonging to the alcohol family; in the molecule of a glycol, two hydroxyl (−OH) groups are attached to different carbon atoms. The term is often applied to the simplest member of the class, ethylene glycol.

I'm not sure how safe something like that is around pets, other than perhaps the outer "shell" may offer some protection.   :-\
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Offline DeeDee

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Re: Paw Safe Ice Melter - how safe is it, really?
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2015, 10:21:28 AM »
Did you read the fine print? Check your ingredients. The stuff they have here in town calls itself safe, but then when you read the fine print, it contradicts itself as being safe. It's not completely safe. It's just safer.

I ended up going without it after husband read the directions on Safe Step Sure Paws this year before he bought it again. We'd used it for 2 years before this past year. Next time we have snow, I'm laying down a tarp that I can remove and throw snow off of the patio leaving a clean trail from the backdoor to the fence.

For info on what's safe and what's not:

http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/2013/11/really-safe-ice-melt/

Ingredients and descriptions on all of the Safe Step formulas--and if the stuff were truly safe, they wouldn't be putting things on the containers that say "now more environmentally friendly." More? That indicates that it wasn't completely enviro-friendly in the first place.

http://www.rolliers.com/whats-trending-ice-melters-which-product-is-best-for-you/
« Last Edit: June 06, 2015, 10:38:42 AM by DeeDee »
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline DeeDee

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Re: Paw Safe Ice Melter - how safe is it, really?
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2015, 10:26:19 AM »
Pookie, did you go to the MSDS of the brand you listed? http://www.safepaw.com/msds.pdf

Effects of Overexposure:

 Chronic (Long Term Exposure): None Known
 Inhalation: May cause respiratory tract irritation, although no incidents of dust inhalation health effects have been
reported
 Eye Contact: Flush with water for 10 minutes. If any irritation persists seek medical attention.
 Skin Contact: Very slight irritation. Repeated or prolonged contact may cause reddening. Just wash with soap
and water. If reddening persists seek medical attention.
 Ingestion: May cause stomach irritation and upset. If persists seek medical attention.

"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline DeeDee

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Re: Paw Safe Ice Melter - how safe is it, really?
« Reply #6 on: June 06, 2015, 10:35:10 AM »
The ASPCA has several articles on the stuff too:

http://www.aspca.org/search/node?search=ice%20melter



And if it worked, I doubt you had one of the UREA based products:

From http://www.ossian.com/petsafe_doc.htm

Quote
The most common, and often sole ingredient in ice melters labeled “Pet Safe,” is Urea (sometimes listed as Carbonyl Diamide or Carbamide Resin).  Urea is a bio-degradable chemical that is most commonly used in fertilizers.  Although Urea won’t harm your pet’s paws, it also won’t melt your ice.  An over application of Urea, which is inevitable as you struggle to melt ice with it, can have damaging effects to the surrounding vegetation and contamination to water runoff.  Also the price per pound of Urea makes it a very expensive and highly impractical ice melter.  If the goal is general safety and not an ice melting agent, sand or other aggregate that gives traction to an icey surface may be advisable.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

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