Now the manufacturers of those products have determined to do something about all the carnage. They are making antifreeze taste awful — so very bitter that it will be nigh impossible to drink by accident.
Seventeen states already require manufacturers to add so-called bittering agents to ethylene glycol products. The
Consumer Specialty Products Association, which represents the key manufacturers, voluntarily
has agreed to require members to add these agents to all consumer products containing the compound sold nationwide. The first batches of unpalatable antifreeze started hitting store shelves last year; this year customers can buy only the bitter versions.
The action came about in part because of a surprisingly warm relationship between the Humane Society and the C.S.P.A. Both groups had earlier worked together to propose
federal legislation requiring bittering agents in antifreeze. But after repeated failures, they realized that an industry agreement was a more likely resolution.
“Most people survive because they get treatment a lot faster,” said Sara Amundson, executive director of the
Humane Society Legislative Fund. “We often don’t catch the problem with animals until it’s too late, partly because they often go away to some quiet place when they feel sick.”
Representatives of the two groups settled on an old-time compound, denatonium benzoate, as
the best way to make antifreeze taste terrible. The compound, discovered in the late 1950s, is not considered especially toxic, is obnoxiously bitter, and has been shown not to damage engines. Even at 10 parts per million, studies have found, children in laboratory settings promptly
spat out orange juice tainted with denatonium benzoate.
But not everyone is deterred. A 2008 study looking at states where bittering agents are required found that the taste appeared
to make no difference to those determined to commit suicide by drinking antifreeze.
Nonetheless, researchers tracking both human and animal health are hoping that the new formulation reduces the number of inadvertent poisonings. “We’re watching it,” said Dr. Ford, who is also director of the poison control center network, which has begun analyzing its 2013 numbers. The
Animal Poison Control Center, operated by the A.S.P.C.A., so far reports no change: The number of alarmed calls about antifreeze poisoning remained above 300 a year from 2011 to 2013.
Of course, no one is sure how much sweet antifreeze is still out there. For one thing, the voluntary agreement doesn’t cover professional grades of antifreeze and engine coolant, such as those used in car repair shops. And people hang onto their home supplies for years.
“I’ve got a container of antifreeze in my garage that’s probably more than a year old,” said Dr. Clark Fobian, a Missouri veterinarian and president of the
American Veterinary Medical Association.
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