Q: What are some things I need to know or do while I take Calcium Chloride?
A: ●Tell all of your health care providers that you take calcium chloride. This includes your doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists.
●Have blood work checked as you have been told by the doctor. Talk with the doctor.
●This medicine may contain aluminum. There is a chance of aluminum toxicity if you are on calcium chloride for a long time. The risk is greater if you have kidney problems. The risk is also higher in premature infants. Talk with the doctor.
●Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan on getting pregnant. You will need to talk about the benefits and risks of using calcium chloride while you are pregnant.
●Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding. You will need to talk about any risks to your baby.
Q: What is calcium chloride made of?
A: Calcium chloride is a calcium-derived salt that occurs naturally. It is a solid white and can be rendered synthetically as well.
Q: Is calcium chloride a natural product?
A: Natural calcium chloride contains small quantities of sodium chloride and potassium chloride transported from the natural feedstock of the brine. This covers nearly all food-grade calcium chloride applications.
Q: What is calcium chloride commonly used for?
A: Calcium chloride is an excellent desiccant as a hygroscopic agent to eliminate dissolved moisture in liquids and is suitable for use in food packaging to improve dryness and avoid spoilage.
Q: What happens when calcium chloride is exposed to air?
A: Because calcium carbide is a fragile material, when exposed to air, it absorbs water from the atmosphere. When anhydrous calcium chloride becomes released in the sun, it also absorbs heat from the atmosphere and becomes a colourless solution.
Q: Is calcium electrically conductive?
A: Calcium is more difficult than lead, but with an effort, it can be cut with a knife. Although calcium is a weaker electricity conductor than copper or aluminium by weight, due to its very low density, it is a better mass conductor than both.
Q: Why is calcium chloride used in drinking water?
A: It’s commonly used in sports drinks and other beverages, including bottled water, as an electrolyte. Calcium chloride’s highly salty taste is used to flavour pickles, without increasing the sodium content of the food.
Q: What foods contain calcium chloride?
A: Calcium chloride is used as a firming agent in canned vegetables, to firm soybean curds into tofu, and to make a caviar substitute from vegetable or fruit juices. It’s commonly used in sports drinks and other beverages, including bottled water, as an electrolyte.
Q: What is bad about calcium chloride?
A: Calcium chloride poses some serious dangers to your health and safety. Calcium chloride can cause burns in the mouth and throat, excess thirst, vomiting, stomach pain, low blood pressure, and other potential serious health effects if ingested. This may also irritate the skin, causing prolonged dryness or damp skin to dry out.
Q: Is it safe to eat Calcium Chloride?
A: The uses of calcium chloride are plentiful, which leads to the question on whether it’s safe to consume. The use of calcium chloride in food relate to the fact that it is extremely salty in taste. It is used in brines, giving a salty taste without adding in all the sodium. Using calcium chloride in food serves as a firming agent as well, and it is commonly found in cheese and tofu. Calcium chloride is generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
Q: How should packages of solid calcium chloride be stored?
A: Solid calcium chloride is both hygroscopic and deliquescent. This means that the product can absorb moisture from the air, even to the point of converting to liquid brine. For this reason, protecting solid calcium chloride from excessive moisture exposure is the primary requirement to maintain product quality while in storage. Packaged calcium chloride should be stored in a dry place. Avoid storing in areas where product leakage could cause damage. Some types of bags (i.e. valve closure bags) do not seal well if stored standing on end and should be stored lying flat. Opened packages should be tightly resealed after each use to prevent caking and liquid brine formation that may result from exposure to humid air. Palletized product covered by an intact plastic shroud may be stored outdoors on a well-drained asphalt or concrete surface. If the shroud is torn, pierced or removed, the palletized product should be stored indoors or under a waterproof covering. Products packaged in drums or FIBCs (aka. Super Sacks or Big Bags) are typically not shrouded. Therefore, these packages should be stored indoors or under a waterproof covering.
Q: Can liquid calcium chloride be used to deice sidewalks and parking lots?
A: Yes. However, liquid deicers have significantly less melt capacity than solid deicers because the liquids are already diluted with water. This makes liquids best suited for use in anti-icing or pre-wetting applications, but they can be used for deicing thin layers of snow or ice as well. The most common liquid calcium chloride concentration used in winter applications is 32%. The most appropriate liquid application rate depends on a variety of situation-specific factors, including weather conditions, surface type, amount of snow/ice present, etc. Over-application or application onto a contaminated surface may result in slickness. If a liquid deicer is applied to a surface under humid conditions prior to a winter storm event, it may absorb enough moisture from the air to dilute to a concentration that will freeze as the temperature drops, possibly resulting in slickness. Because conditions that affect application rate vary significantly from situation to situation, it is the responsibility of each end user to determine the liquid application rate best suited for the particular situation.
Q: I have used ice melter to remove ice dams on my roof. Are there any concerns about using calcium chloride in this manner?
A: We recommends that you hire a trained professional to treat ice dam-related problems and investigate insulation and attic ventilation best practices that may prevent ice dams. There are ice melt products on the market designed to be thrown onto the roof where ice dams have built-up to create channels that allow melting snow to drain off the roof. Most common ice melt products contain chlorides, including hygroscopic (moisture attracting) products like calcium chloride and magnesium chloride. While very effective in melting ice, hygroscopic ice melt products may cause water to evaporate at a slower rate and remain damp longer than naturally melting water. If you use ice melt products on your roof, be aware of the risks involved and take precautions to maintain proper drainage. Water from melting ice can corrode roofing nails and steel gutters, and could get under shingles, potentially damaging wood products. You should also prevent the water from draining directly onto vegetation, including shrubs, bushes and evergreens.
Q: Is it okay to use calcium chloride products for deicing wood surfaces?
A: The variety of wood treatments that could be used on exterior wood surfaces makes it difficult to predict the effect of calcium chloride deicers on those surfaces. Therefore, deicing wood surfaces with calcium chloride products is not recommended. Calcium chloride could potentially soak into untreated and some treated wood surfaces, resulting in damp spots that may be difficult to remove.
Q: Will deicing with calcium chloride products damage my concrete?
A: Calcium chloride products are recommended for deicing asphalt and concrete surfaces that have been designed and constructed for winter weather conditions and deicer usage. Calcium chloride products will not chemically attack asphalt or concrete. Melt water from the deicing process may soak into porous concrete and re-freeze, creating pressure within the concrete structure. Concrete that lacks strength to withstand this pressure may spall or scale. Concrete is resistant to scaling damage if it is air-entrained, mixed, placed and cured according to the recommendations of the American Concrete Institute Committee 201. Calcium chloride products are not recommended for deicing concrete that is less than one year old, precast steps, masonry (stone, brick, mortar joints), or existing concrete that has exposed aggregate, is precast, prestressed, chipped, cracked, spalled or weathered.
Q: Is calcium chloride used for dust control corrosive to vehicles?
A: Noticeable vehicle corrosion is not likely to be associated with dust control applications of calcium chloride. First, the application rate is relatively low, so there is not much calcium chloride available to come into contact with passing vehicles. Second, the calcium chloride tends to remain in the road bed. If it didn't, it wouldn't control dust very well because it would disappear from the road after a short while. If it is suspected that a vehicle has come into contact with calcium chloride, a basic wash of the vehicle will remove this highly soluble salt.
Q: Is calcium chloride safe for use around grassy areas and other vegetation?
A: Under typical application conditions, calcium chloride will not damage grass or vegetation adjacent to a road surface where dust control is applied. As with fertilizer and any other road dust control chemical, it is possible for grass to be damaged if the calcium chloride is over-applied or large quantities are directly applied to grass or vegetation.
