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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Leyland Cecco in Toronto

Peak interest: Toronto’s snow mountains that refuse to melt are a toxic hazard

Yellow power shovels at a snow dumping area
Operations at Toronto's snow dumping area in the neighborhood of Downsview on 26 February. Photograph: Cole Burston/The Guardian

Most mountains take tens of millions of years to form. Toronto’s newest mountain took just days.

Towering atop the crowns of evergreens, it has no skeleton of limestone or granite. There are no spires, cornices or headwalls. It is simply piles upon piles of snow, mixed with a toxic cocktail of road salt, antifreeze, oil, coffee cups and lost keys. It is the final resting place for the forces of nature that have battered the city in recent weeks – and a daunting environmental hazard.

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