Brooklyn Waterfront Residents Petition City to remove Salt Pile

 Residents of Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill are petitioning the city and the Port Authority of NY and NJ and ASI to remove the salt pile on Pier 9 at Kane and Columbia Streets.
The petition reads: 

Covering the salt pile is NOT a solution. The salt pile is uncovered for months at a time while being used, loaded and unloaded, and on windy days when the covering comes loose. This substance gets airborne and disperses throughout the neighborhood.

Salt is an irritant, can irritate the respiratory tract and causes hypertension. Some pet advocacy groups claim that road salt is harmful to dogs, and aquatic life may be particularly susceptible. Canada has considered listing road salt as a toxic substance due to the salinity itself.

Some evidence suggests that sunlight and bacteria can trigger a toxic substance (cyanide) to be released from road salt.

Salt entering the port of New York in 2005 was of Chilean origin. It contained perchlorate, a contaminant regulated by the EPA. Perchlorate may affect the functioning of the thyroid gland in humans. In addition, the use of this location for the storage and loading of this corrosive substance is incompatible with the new waterfront park and greenway development plans.

WE ARE NOW FACING A 3RD YEAR OF THIS HAZARD as a new huge mountain of salt is loaded onto the site.

There are 60+ signatures so far. One commenter wrote:

PLEASE remove this salt pile. For 3 years I have been calling 311, local representatives, American Stevedoring and have had no positive result. My dog's paws have been damaged by this salt, and on windy days the salt has been an irritant to my asthma. I am now pregnant, and we are seriously considering whether to stay in our apartment if this salt pile is not removed as we know this is a hazard to our baby . . .

Petition here.

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