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Key Points/Overview

Sodium chloride is an essential nutrient and is used in healthcare to help prevent patients from becoming dehydrated.

It is used as a food preservative and as a seasoning to enhance flavor.

Sodium chloride is also used in manufacturing to make plastics and other products, and it is used to de-ice roads and sidewalks.

Salt is regulated by the FDA as a “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) ingredient. A GRAS substance is one that has a long history of safe, common use in foods, or that is determined to be safe, for the intended use, based on proven science.

Uses & Benefits

Sodium chloride is an essential nutrient and is used in healthcare to help prevent patients from becoming dehydrated. It is used as a food preservative and as a seasoning to enhance flavor. Sodium chloride is also used in manufacturing to make plastics and other products. It is also used to de-ice roads and sidewalks.

IV bag in hospital room

Medical and Health

Hospitals use an intravenous sodium chloride solution to supply water and salt to patients to alleviate dehydration. Sodium chloride is essential to maintain the electrolyte balance of fluids in a person’s body. If levels of electrolytes become too low or too high, a person can become dehydrated or over hydrated, according to U.S. National Library of Medicine.2

salt shaker

Food Flavoring and Preservative

Sodium chloride has been used to flavor and preserve foods for thousands of years. As a preservative, salt helps to prevent spoilage and helps to keep foods like ready-to-eat meats and cheeses safe to eat.3 Salt is also used in fermenting processes for foods like sauerkraut, pickles and kefir.

using cleaning products to stop the spread of germs

Manufacturing

Large quantities of sodium chloride are used in industrial manufacturing settings to make a range of products. Plastic, paper, rubber, glass, chlorine, polyester, household bleach, soaps, detergents and dyes are made using sodium chloride.

Rubber tires grips snow covered road

De-Icing Roads

Roadways and sidewalks are often de-iced by rock salt. Rock salt is the same type of salt used on your dinner table before it is ground into finer crystals.

snowplow clearing the road

Safety Information

Salt is regulated by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) ingredient.4 A GRAS substance is one that has a long history of safe, common use in foods, or that is determined to be safe, for the intended use, based on proven science. These substances need not be approved by FDA prior to being used.

FDA requires food labels to include information on a product’s sodium content.5 In addition, U.S. Dietary Guidelines6 reported from the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and of Agriculture (USDA) recommend that most people consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, or about a teaspoon of table salt.7 FDA notes that consuming too much salt can contribute to hypertension. Some people are more sensitive to the effects of salt than others and should eat less of it.8

FAQs

What is sodium chloride?

Sodium chloride is more commonly known as salt. It is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth and an essential nutrient for many plants and animals, including people.

What are sodium chloride uses?

Sodium chloride has been used to flavor and preserve foods for thousands of years. Sodium chloride has other uses beyond seasoning and preserving foods. For example, hospitals use an intravenous sodium chloride solution to supply water and salt to patients to alleviate dehydration. Sodium chloride is also used in industrial manufacturing settings to produce other products like plastic and paper.

Is sodium chloride safe?

Salt, also known as sodium chloride, is regulated by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) ingredient. A “GRAS” substance is one that has a long history of safe, common use in foods, or that is determined to be safe, for the intended use, based on proven science. FDA notes that consuming too much salt can contribute to high blood pressure or hypertension.

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