New Study Says You Might Not Want To Make That Next Batch Of Snow Ice Cream

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - Have you ever made snow ice cream?

It's something I always looked forward to as a kid growing up in Arkansas, especially since snow wasn't all that common in the mid-south.

All it took to whip up a bowl was a fresh snowfall, some condensed milk, a little sugar and a splash of vanilla.

But while a fresh snow might look crisp and clean, the composition of that snow is actually quite dirty, and according to a new study, it could potentially even be toxic.

That's because our atmosphere is full of microscopic aerosols and pollutants that you can't see with the naked eye, but they can be absorbed by snowflakes falling through the air.

Snow sitting on the ground can also be polluted as it sits and waits to melt.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts, looked specifically at pollution in the exhaust from gasoline powered engines and found that snowpack is a sink for exhaust-derived nanoparticles.

A sink means that the snow collects these pollutants which can change the chemical composition of the snow.

This was particularly true in cold urban areas.

A 2014 report from the World Health Organization listed air pollution as the cause for 7 million premature deaths annually.

Exposure to air pollution has been associated with illnesses including cancer.

The study addresses a lack of understanding of the behavior of pollution from gasoline engine exhaust in cold environments.

According to the paper, the work is a first-of-its-kind utilizing a snow chamber to decouple effects of exhaust from those of other pollution sources.

The paper also brought up a concern for a rapid release of exhaust-driven pollutants into both the air and ground water as urban snow melts.

Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.