Water softener salt is most commonly made of sodium chloride. But, although water softener salt is safe to use in a water softener, it should not be used for food or animal consumption.
If water softener salt should happen to be consumed, it may cause a stomachache if a large quantity was ingested. As long as there is access to plenty of drinking water, it's unlikely other issues will arise.
Water softened with salt not only tastes bad, it's also harmful to your health. It damages your pipes and it harms the environment. If you have kidney or heart disease, or you're on a low-salt (sodium) diet, using a salt softener is a very bad choice, even if you're in very good health. When water is softened with salt (sodium), calcium bicarbonate, a compound naturally found in "hard" water, is exchanged with the salt. This salt ends up in your drinking water, showers, bathtubs, and down your drains, where it affects the environment.
So, for your health, do not drink water softened with salt.
