Antifreeze Information Page

Antifreeze Poses Perils for Pets and Wildlife

 

Fluffy thought it was her lucky day. She was thirsty, having spent the last half-hour stalking mice and birds in her yard. Out on the road she saw a greenish puddle of sweet-smelling liquid to quench her thirst…

A teaspoonful of antifreeze is enough to use up one of Fluffy's nine lives. Splashes of antifreeze from topping off car radiators or puddles from draining old coolant can be lethal. Antifreeze is such a common chemical around our homes, that you might lose sight of its threat. However, swallowing small amounts of antifreeze can cause kidney failure and death in cats and dogs, and even small children. The annual report from the American Association of Poison Control Centers shows that in the year 2000 there were over 1600 antifreeze-related poisonings of children and adults. A 1996 survey by American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates tens of thousands of pets and wild animals are killed or injured each year by drinking antifreeze.

Most antifreeze used as an automotive engine coolant is up to 95% ethylene glycol. When ingested, the ethylene glycol converts to oxalic acid that crystallizes in the kidneys, causing kidney damage, and eventually death. Symptoms may not appear for nine hours or more, and at that point it is usually too late to save the victim.

Antifreeze that has been in an engine also picks up contaminants such as heavy metals and benzene (a known carcinogen) while it circulates through an engine block. Because of all these issues, unsafe handling of antifreeze poses a problem.

So how do you handle antifreeze safely?

Hint  

 Don't change coolant unnecessarily. Check your owner's manual to see how often to replace antifreeze. The good news is that carmakers are working with antifreeze manufacturers to make cooling systems that need less frequent coolant changes, and are working towards a completely closed system. Check with your mechanic to see if you can switch to the longer lasting "extended life" antifreeze that lasts up to five years before it needs changing. The life you extend might not only be your engine's!

Change your antifreeze at a repair shop that uses an antifreeze recycling machine. The used antifreeze is run through a series of filters, and chemicals are added to make it reusable in your cooling system. This choice minimizes waste, and will not expose your pets to threats from spills.

If you change your own antifreeze, buy only what you need. Wipe up spills immediately, and dispose of rags in a covered container. Give leftovers to someone who can use them or seal the remainder in the original container, and store away from children and pets.

Look into alternatives. Switch to a less toxic propylene glycol (PG) antifreeze. Check first to see if using PG antifreeze will void your car's warranty. And don't mix the two types of antifreeze. Mixing PG and ethylene glycol antifreezes will harm your car's engine, and you can't recycle ethylene glycol that is mixed with PG antifreeze. If you use antifreeze in camp or RV toilets, definitely use PG-based antifreezes.   The performance of PG antifreezes are similar to ethylene glycol antifreezes, and they are less toxic. PG antifreezes are becoming more widely accepted. For example, using PG antifreeze will not affect the warranty coverage on General Motors' vehicles.

When disposing of spent antifreeze:

• Do not mix it with any other fluids! Antifreeze contaminated with oil, gasoline, brake fluid or other materials is not recyclable and may have to be handled as a hazardous waste, making disposal expensive.
• Check with automotive repair shops, your town, and your local treatment plant operator. They may take your antifreeze or know of other disposal options.
• Check with local automotive repair shops. Some may take your antifreeze. It is important not to mix the antifreeze other fluids; repair shops don't want contaminated waste to deal with. Check with your town. The recycling center may accept antifreeze. Or your town may hold household hazardous waste clean-up days when you can bring in your waste antifreeze.
• Call your local treatment plant operator, they may collect antifreeze or know of other disposal options.
• Don't put antifreeze down your septic system or a storm drain! Antifreeze could harm the function of your septic system, and add benzene and heavy metals to your leachfield. Dumping antifreeze into a storm drain could hurt animals that live in the storm drain discharge area.

Residents in many communities need safe disposal options for antifreeze, but with forethought we can protect children, pets, and wildlife from accidental antifreeze poisoning.It really was Fluffy's lucky day. As she crept toward the antifreeze puddle, Brutus the Pekinese chased Fluffy up a tree. As Fluffy sat on a branch with Brutus salivating below, a street sweeper washed the puddle down a storm drain where it flowed into a nearby stream.

Flipper the minnow thought it was his lucky day....