Editing Ethylene glycol (section)

== Toxicity ==
{{main|Ethylene glycol poisoning}}
Ethylene glycol has relatively high mammalian toxicity when ingested, roughly on par with [[methanol]], with an oral [[Lowest published lethal dose|LD<sub>Lo</sub>]] = 786&nbsp;mg/kg for humans.<ref>{{cite web
| author = Safety Officer in Physical Chemistry
| title = Safety (MSDS) data for ethylene glycol
| publisher = Oxford University
| date = November 23, 2009
| url = http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk/ET/ethylene_glycol.html
| access-date = December 30, 2009
| archive-date = December 14, 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111214093006/http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk/ET/ethylene_glycol.html
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> The major danger is due to its sweet [[taste]], which can attract children and animals. Upon ingestion, ethylene glycol is oxidized to [[glycolic acid]], which is, in turn, oxidized to [[oxalic acid]], which is [[Toxicity|toxic]]. It and its toxic byproducts first affect the [[central nervous system]], then the heart, and finally the kidneys. Ingestion of sufficient amounts is fatal if untreated.<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/EmergencyResponseCard_29750031.html Ethylene glycol]. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Emergency Response Database. August 22, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2008.</ref> Several deaths are recorded annually in the U.S. alone.<ref>{{EMedicine|article|814701|Ethylene Glycol Toxicity}}</ref>

Antifreeze products for automotive use containing [[propylene glycol]] in place of ethylene glycol are available. They are generally considered safer to use, as propylene glycol is not as palatable{{refn|group=note|Pure propylene glycol does not taste bitter, and pure propylene glycol is often used as a food additive, for instance in cake icing and shelf-stable whipped cream. Industrial-grade propylene glycol usually has a slightly bitter or acrid taste due to impurities. See the article on [[propylene glycol]] for more information. The relative sweetness of ethylene glycol<ref>{{cite book|title=The Merck Index|date=2013|publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry|pages=M5122|edition=15th}}</ref> and propylene glycol<ref>{{cite book|title=The Merck Index|date=2013|publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry|pages=M9238|edition=15th}}</ref> is discussed in the Merck Index, and neither compound is described as bitter.}} and is converted in the body to [[lactic acid]], a normal product of metabolism and exercise.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.resteddoginn.ca/antifreeze.php |title=Ethylene Glycol Poisoning |author=Pieter Klapwijk |date=January 27, 2010 |publisher=The Rested Dog Inn |access-date=October 11, 2012 |archive-date=January 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126003300/http://www.resteddoginn.ca/antifreeze.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Australia, the UK, and seventeen US states (as of 2012) require the addition of a bitter flavoring ([[Denatonium|denatonium benzoate]]) to antifreeze. In December 2012, US antifreeze manufacturers agreed voluntarily to add a bitter flavoring to all antifreeze that is sold in the consumer market of the US.<ref>{{cite web|title=Antifreeze and Engine Coolant Being Bittered Nationwide|url=http://www.cspa.org/category/news-releases/2012/12/antifreeze-and-engine-coolant-being-bittered-nationwide/|publisher=Consumer Specialty Products Association|access-date=30 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121228225407/http://www.cspa.org/news-media-center/news-releases/2012/12/antifreeze-and-engine-coolant-being-bittered-nationwide|archive-date=28 December 2012|date=13 December 2012}}</ref>

In 2022, several hundred children died of acute [[kidney failure]] in [[Indonesia]] and [[The Gambia]] because the [[paracetamol]] syrup made by [[New Delhi]]-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals contained ethylene glycol and [[diethylene glycol]], ingredients that have been linked to child deaths from [[acute kidney injury]] in The Gambia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Indonesia says child deaths from acute kidney injury rise to 133 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/22/indonesia-says-child-deaths-from-acute-kidney-injury-rise-to-133 |work=[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]] |date=22 October 2022}}</ref> In December 2022, [[Uzbekistan]]'s health ministry has said children died as a result of ethylene glycol in [[Toxic cough syrup|cough syrup]] made by [[Marion Biotech]], which is based at [[Noida]], near New Delhi.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-64114240 |title=Marion Biotech: Uzbekistan links child deaths to India cough syrup |date=29 December 2022 |work=[[BBC News]] }}</ref>