Purpose: To require manufacturers of engine coolant and antifreeze to include in the antifreeze a bittering agent that renders the products unpalatable.
[teaserbreak]
Status: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 373.
Action: SUPPORT. Please contact your two Senators and urge them to support S. 1110. Tell your Senators that many children, companion animals, and wildlife are needlessly killed each year because antifreeze does not contain a bittering agent, which would make the antifreeze taste bitter rather than sweet. Veterinary clinics report numerous cases annually of antifreeze ingestions from accidental road spills, residential radiator draining and even intentional poisonings.
Talking Points for your letter:
- S. 1110 would require that engine coolant and antifreeze contain a bittering agent so as to render them unpalatable.
- Thousands of companion animals and wildlife and hundreds of children are needlessly poisoned by ethylene glycol antifreeze each year. Veterinary clinics report numerous cases of antifreeze ingestions from accidental road spills and residential radiator draining. In the most egregious cases, animals are deliberately killed using antifreeze. These poisonings occur because the sweet taste of antifreeze makes this toxic substance attractive to both children and animals.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that an aversive agent be added to antifreeze and The American Association of Poison Control Centers lists antifreeze as “an ideal candidate for an aversive agent.” Denatonium benzoate is considered the world’s most bitter compound. Due to its aversive reaction, denatonium benzoate commonly is added to automotive, household and outdoor products to prevent accidental poisonings. At a cost of only 2 to 3 cents per gallon, denatonium benzoate could be added to antifreeze, causing the antifreeze to taste bitter rather than sweet and thereby deterring its ingestion. The addition of this substance to antifreeze would provide protection to children and animals from the toxic effects of antifreeze.