U.S. Lawmakers Seek To
Protect Animals from Coolant
November 18, 2005 — By Reuters
WASHINGTON — A proposal that would
require industry to add an ingredient to automobile antifreeze to make
it less tasty to animals cleared a key Senate committee Thursday.
The Commerce Committee approved a measure introduced by Sen. George
Allen, a Virginia Republican and chairman of the consumer affairs
subcommittee, that would require antifreeze and coolant manufacturers to
include a bittering agent in their liquid products.
Most common antifreeze contains ethylene glycol, a bright green liquid
that tastes sweet to animals. It is lethal to pets in small doses, the
committee said.
About 10,000 dogs and cats are accidentally poisoned by antifreeze each
year, according to estimates by some veterinary experts.
One of the most common ways for animals to come in contact with
antifreeze is from a leaking auto cooling system, the committee said.
The panel's proposal that was sent to the full Senate for action also
would require federal consumer product regulators to determine whether a
common bittering agent, denatonium benzoate, or DB, harms the
environment. If so, the government could substitute an alternative
additive.
The legislation would exempt manufacturers from liability if they
included the DB additive in their coolant products, the committee said.
Source: Reuters
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