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Senate Committee Wants Bitter Antifreeze to Protect Children and Pets

July 18, 2005
Senator George Allen (R-Va.) thinks Congress ought to pass legislation requiring antifreeze manufacturers to make their otherwise sweet tasting product less appealing to animals and children.

Allen has a lot of company.

With several dogs looking on, representatives of industry and animal rights groups told the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer affairs they back legislation requiring manufacturers to put an agent into antifreeze, a toxic substance, to give it a bitter taste.

Sara Amundson of the Doris Day Animal League told the panel that 1,400 children ingest antifreeze each year, and that as many as 10,000 dogs and cats a year are poisoned by it. It is the poison of choice for disgruntled people seeking to quiet a neighborhood dog, she told the committee.

Dogs and cats find antifreeze almost irrestible. A leaking radiator can easily disgorge enough of the substance to fatally poison an animal or a small child.

Subcommittee Chairman Allen, who invited pet owners to bring their dogs to the hearing, said his panel would act on legislation soon and that he expected the full Senate to pass the measure.

The proposed bill would also protect antifreeze manufacturers from liability associated with the bitter tasting agent. Manufacturers and distributors of the agent, denatonium benzoate would be liable for that chemical, while antifreeze manufacturers would continue to be liable for ethylene glycol antifreeze itself.

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