I'm a believer!
-----Original Message-----
From: Alex Avery <aavery@rica.net>
To: JOHNSOF@aol.com <JOHNSOF@aol.com>
Cc: datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net <datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net>
Date: Monday, July 09, 2001 1:24 PM
Subject: Coolant disposal debate, ad nauseum
>Uh, it's not pretty nasty to be dumping on your lawn, dude. They use it at
>airports to deice planes--in huge quantities. Ethylene glycol is harmless
>to plants and soil bacteria. It's not a persistant pollutant, it is
>readily digested by lots of stuff, so dumping it on your lawn is a way to
>let nature break it down. The EPA says "Ethylene glycol appears to
>represent a low hazard to the environment" for the above reasons. It takes
>over 100 grams/milliliter to be toxic to fish.
>
>The reason ethylene glycol is toxic to humans is not because it itself is
>toxic but because of metabolites produced after your body breaks it
>down--Glycoaldehyde, Glycolic Acid, Glyoxylic acid, and Oxalate. The
>treatment for EG poisoning is ethyl alcohol (hard liquer)--lots of it! The
>ethyl alcohol competes for the enzymes in your body that digest ethylene
>glycol into the toxic by-products.
>
>For you really die-hard science geeks (like me) here are the details of
>mammalian ethylene glycol toxicity: The metabolites inhibit oxidative
>phosphorylation, sulfhydrl-containing enzymes, and protein synthesis.
>Glycolic acid is the major cause of the metabolic acidosis that is seen in
>ethylene glycol toxicity, although glyoxylic acid also may contribute.
>Toxicity from ethylene glycol is produced from the above metabolites and
>the fact that they cause a severe acidosis, as well as from the fact that
>oxalate precipitates with calcium to produce widespread tissue injury in
>the kidney, brain, liver, blood vessels, and pericardium. Hypocalcemia may
>also result.
>
>Sorry for the length but I really hate misinformation and love scientific
>stuff like this.
>Alex Avery
>Director of Research
>Hudson Institute
>Center for Global Food Issues
>'78 280Z and caretaker of dad's SRL311-7278
>
>
>At 03:19 PM 7/9/01 -0400, JOHNSOF@aol.com wrote:
>>Uh, it's pretty nasty to be dumping on your lawn...most municipalities
>>suggest pouring it down your toilet, since the waste treatment plant will
>>dilute it down and as you say the bacteria will have a chance to break it
>>down. I have a septic tank/drain field, so I collect the old antifreeze
and
>>once a year take it to the county recycling facility where I can dispose
of
>>it there. I'd like to think that they recycle it, but maybe they dispose
of
>>it too.
>>
>>Fred J.
>>Wisc.
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