Bitter ethylene glycol. It's about time.

[Platapus]

https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/130215f.aspx

This past December, the Consumer Specialty Products Association and Humane Society Legislative Fund announced antifreeze and engine coolant manufacturers had voluntarily agreed to add a bitter flavoring agent to their products sold nationwide.

Antifreeze and engine coolant are made with ethylene glycol, a highly toxic compound with a sweet taste that appeals to animals and children. The Humane Society Legislative Fund, an advocacy organization working to pass animal protection laws, estimates at least 10,000 animals are poisoned as a result of ingesting these products each year.

Seventeen states currently require adding a bittering agent to ethylene glycol, usually denatonium benzoate. Multiple attempts at making it a federal requirement have been unsuccessful, however.

HSLF Executive Director Sara Amundson hailed the agreement, announced Dec. 12, 2012. “After years of battling over legislation addressing this important issue, the manufacturers of antifreeze and engine coolant have been working with animal advocates to pass state laws with mutually agreed-on language,” Amundson said.

“Today, all major marketers are placing the bitterant in antifreeze in all 50 states,” said Phil Klein, executive vice president of legislative and public affairs for the Consumer Specialty Products Association. The trade organization represents the household and industrial products industry.

The AVMA supported federal legislation mandating the addition of a bittering agent. Additionally, the Association has a policy that encourages using clear warning labels emphasizing the potential danger of ethylene glycol and efforts to make the compound less palatable to animals.

And best of all, they stopped trying to make this a government thing and went directly to the manufacture for voluntary changes.

Government involvement needs to be the last resort, not the first resort.

I really appreciate the manufacturers making this decision. It is not common to hear about a company (no less a group of different companies) making decisions like this to make their product safer voluntarily.

Maybe this will encourage other companies to make better decisions about safety.

Nah, who am I kidding.

[AVGWarhawk]

Antifreeze does taste sweet. I have had my share working on cars for a living 11 years. They make natural gas smell like rotten eggs so one can detect a gas leak in the home. Antifreeze should taste nasty.

[Herr-Berbunch]

I've had it as 'vodka' for one night only, that's enough. One of the more regular users had issues with it after a while, wouldn't recommend it to anyone - this measure is a good result for common sense and helping those with little.

[TarJak]

Good news. Though I'm more cynical about their motives. If they can say it costs more to add the flavour, they can charge more for the product and increase their profits. Too cynical? Maybe.

[Wolferz]

Getting the Atomic Energy Commision to stop painting those spent fuel rods to look like candy canes.

[Takeda Shingen]

I agree that it is about time that something was done about it. As AVG said, scent is added to natural gas for safety. This is a good thing.

[TorpX]

This reminds me of something I read about 20 years ago. I remember it because it happened in the town where I live. A young man who was working on his car somehow ingested a quantity of anti-freeze. The police investigated and were able to talk to him. They couldn't determine whether it was an accident or intentional. The victim subsequently died. As far as I know, no one was ever able to say how it happened.

[Platapus]

having a hard time believing that anyone one could "accidentally" drink EG.

Even if some sprayed in his face and he swallowed a bit, it would not kill him. Lethal dose of EG is about 1.5ml/KG

So a 180 pound dude would have to drink about 4 ounces of straight EG to die.

Now maybe his wife/GF spiked his drinks with EG....

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Wolferz

Getting the Atomic Energy Commision to stop painting those spent fuel rods to look like candy canes.

No wonder my lips swelled and fell off this past Christmas.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Platapus

having a hard time believing that anyone one could "accidentally" drink EG.

Even if some sprayed in his face and he swallowed a bit, it would not kill him. Lethal dose of EG is about 1.5ml/KG

So a 180 pound dude would have to drink about 4 ounces of straight EG to die.

Now maybe his wife/GF spiked his drinks with EG....

Dogs love the stuff. First, it is at their level(puddles from cars leaking) and second, it is sweet tasting. Like I posted above, I have swallowed some working on cars. It is sweet tasting. Kids...it is green in color and again, sweet tasting. Very attractive to a kid who knows no better. Also, if a kid is willing to spray PAM cooking spray in his mouth thinking it is butter he is capable of not knowing any better with antifreeze. It does not always kill those that have ingested the liquid. It can cause brain damage.

Originally Posted by TarJak

Good news. Though I'm more cynical about their motives. If they can say it costs more to add the flavour, they can charge more for the product and increase their profits. Too cynical? Maybe.

Redirect your cynicism, its just a plain business decision which the law has pushed them into.
As more and more states passed their own laws requiring the additive then it just became simpler for production and distribution to add it to all the antifreeze instead of making two versions.
The process just got to the stage where it no longer mattered if the yearly federal bill on antifreeze got kicked off to die in commitee or not as the local bills were being passed anyway.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Dogs love the stuff. First, it is at their level(puddles from cars leaking) and second, it is sweet tasting. Like I posted above, I have swallowed some working on cars. It is sweet tasting. Kids...it is green in color and again, sweet tasting. Very attractive to a kid who knows no better. Also, if a kid is willing to spray PAM cooking spray in his mouth thinking it is butter he is capable of not knowing any better with antifreeze. It does not always kill those that have ingested the liquid. It can cause brain damage.

Excellent point.

Once I learned that kids were huffing air conditioner refrigerant, I promised myself never ever to overestimate the intelligence of kids.

And let's not even think about Jenkem

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Excellent point.

Once I learned that kids were huffing air conditioner refrigerant, I promised myself never ever to overestimate the intelligence of kids.

And let's not even think about Jenkem

True but the story was that a young man(I assume by young man means anywhere from pre teens to early 20's) ingested it at that age a person should know not to purposefully ingest GE or any obvious chemical substance.I can relate with AVG if you much mechanical work you'll accidentally get a taste of EG once in a while.The victim was working on his own car implying that he was at least close to legal driving age.

But to ingest a large amount that is another story.I think either the person was a dope fiend and figured it would make him high or drunk or he was trying to kill himself.I suppose that someone could spike your drink with it but it would have to be a very small amount as EG has a very distinctive smell to it that a mechanic would notice.I lean more towards the person being a desperate drug addict.A good friend of mine his sister once was so desperate for drugs that she broke into her fathers house and got into his insulin and injected herself with several doses having heard that I can see a drug addict drinking EG in the hopes of a high.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Dogs love the stuff. First, it is at their level(puddles from cars leaking) and second, it is sweet tasting. Like I posted above, I have swallowed some working on cars. It is sweet tasting. Kids...it is green in color and again, sweet tasting. Very attractive to a kid who knows no better. Also, if a kid is willing to spray PAM cooking spray in his mouth thinking it is butter he is capable of not knowing any better with antifreeze. It does not always kill those that have ingested the liquid. It can cause brain damage.

Precisely....these measures are long overdue.