Antifreeze is the bright green or orange liquid in your car’s radiator to keep the automobile from freezing or overheating. Most brands of antifreeze contain ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol is a sweet tasting liquid and it is deadly to both children and pets. Just two tablespoons of antifreeze is enough to kill a child. As little as two ounces can kill a dog and one teaspoon will kill a cat. In fact if a cat walks through a puddle of antifreeze and then licks its paws, it can ingest enough antifreeze to cause death.

This liquid has such a sweet smell and taste that it is irresistible to both children and animals who come in contact with it. Every year hundreds of children are poisoned by antifreeze while tens of thousands of dogs and cats die. Kids and pets find antifreeze:

• in the garage, when they come across an unmarked bottle of old antifreeze or a pan of antifreeze left on the floor.

• in a puddle of it left in a parking space or on the driveway.

One of the organs most affected by ethylene glycol is the kidneys and even a small amount of antifreeze can cause kidney damage. Once ethylene glycol is inside the body, it is changed into a crystalline acid which attacks the kidneys. If your child or pet act like they are drunk (lack of coordination), it is a symptom that they ingested antifreeze.

Over the next few posts we will discuss some solutions to this problem. Feel free to share your comments.