ABSTRACT
In this chapter, a brief description of ethylene glycol poisoning, symptoms, and its treatment are given. Ethylene glycol is readily available and is easy to obtain. It is stored in most car garages. For this reason, accidental ingestion by people as well as by pets happens quite frequently. ousands of exposures and several deaths are reported every year by poison centers. Ethylene glycol is the ingredient that makes antifreeze tasty. It is a colorless, odorless syrup-like alcohol that tastes sweet. It can mix easily with sodas, juices, and other sugary beverages. Pets and children are prone to lap up a puddle of antifreeze leª on garage ¯oors. Every year 90,000 animals and 4000 children ingest this toxic liquid. Several states require manufacturers to add a bittering agent to antifreeze (1). Two published cases in newspapers illustrate a mother who was wrongly convicted based on a false-positive identiˆcation of ethylene glycol and a young woman’s suicide attempt with ethylene glycol.
