Anti-freeze poisoning...

ILikeMy240sx · 11-09-03, 09:05 AM

Last night I was working with anti-freeze coolant (25% coolant, 75% distilled water) a little bit got on my lips and I didn't think to wash if off or anything since it was so little... Since last night Im having upset stomach (nausea, wanna vomit) and headache, dizziness.... Would that little amount cause poisoning to make me this sick????

juliendogg · 11-09-03, 09:09 AM

it's possible, ethylene glycol is some nasty nasty stuff. A small amount of it can kill small animals. If it was that diluted, i wouldn't have expected it to make u sick. But i suppose it could have.

J.

Hope u feel betta man

altec · 11-09-03, 09:25 AM

Man, I hope its not the ethylene glycol that is making you feel bad. That is some very very nasty stuff. If you continue to feel bad, I would go see a doc, and describe your delimma.....that stuff can cause some serious damage.

omaticrail · 11-09-03, 09:44 AM

Dude, call a poison control center immediately. It can't hurt to ask.

JasonKosi · 11-09-03, 11:29 AM

Definitely call your local poison control center.

That said, I doubt you got a lethal dose. 25% of a few drops of a anti-freeze/water solution works out to be a truely miniscule amount. Have you eaten anything un- or under-cooked recently?

Ethylene glycol poisoning in small animals typically leads to kidney/renal failure. Poisoning is detectable by crystals in the kidneys and consquently the urine. Symptoms in cats are similar to alcohol intoxication. There is no antidote for feline ethylene glycol poisoning. Dogs are more lucky as there is an antidote that is fairly effective if administered soon enough.

Humans have a huge advantage over most small animals: mass. The amount of poison required to adversely a human is generally significantly greater than that of small animal.

The real danger of ethylene glycol is not that it's just poisonous, but the fact that it is also known to taste pleasantly sweet. If it tastes good, it can't be poisonous, right?

BladeRunner · 11-09-03, 11:45 AM

Unlikely as I've often siphoned my cooling system by sucking on a tube and got a mouthful of coolant, (25% ethylene glycol). Of course everybody is different and some maybe effected by a smaller amount than others........... seek medical advice if your symptoms remain the same or worsen and avoid doing it again

JDXNC · 11-09-03, 12:04 PM

If you keep feeling like that seek help, but that small amount would not worry me too much.... years ago people used to check if the anti-freeze in thier car was still good by tasting it to see if it was sweet... if so its still good. Thats no BS!

ILikeMy240sx · 11-09-03, 12:33 PM

Hey thanx everyone... I went to a doc anywayz cuz I kept throwing up... The doc gave me something they use for alcohol poisoning (I forgot the name but it helps your body detox quickly) and some cookies

now im sorta feeling better (still a lil dizzy...) but man.. what a bad experience...

ILikeMy240sx · 11-09-03, 12:34 PM

Oh by the way, I don't want anyone to try this or anything but my Zerex tasted bitter not sweet... Maybe they fixed the formula so it tasted bitter?

#Rotor · 11-09-03, 12:37 PM

you have to know what it does, to understand it's toxicity... because it is a molecular cousin of our good ol friend the Alcohol molecule, and since I'm sure there was some degree of "inbreeding" involved with these two moleculs ...

our livers have a really hard time knowing the one from the other.... Alcohol is a no-brainier.... it gets broken down and pee'ed out..... problem is that ethylene is not all that easy to brake down.... so what happens is your liver , still thinking it's alcohol, seems to bust it's guts on trying to get the job done... from there the toxicity....

apparently the best remedy for taking a nice big gulp of antifreeze.... oooo this is bad medicine.... "take lotsa alcohol"
probably why you never here of any mechanics dying of antifreeze poisoning....

apparently it make it easier for the liver,

I am no MD though.. so don't take anything I say as gospel.. K!!

ILikeMy240sx · 11-09-03, 12:46 PM

wait.... drinking alcohol cures anti-freeze poisoning??

I don't get it. If your liver "thinks" its alcohol and tries to break it down but is not successful, how can giving the liver more work by drinking alcohol will help breakdown ethlyn?

BladeRunner · 11-09-03, 12:49 PM

That explains it then as being a mechanic I'm usually over 40% alcohol content at all times

Soja · 11-09-03, 03:02 PM

lol

johan851 · 11-09-03, 03:19 PM

Quote:

years ago people used to check if the anti-freeze in thier car was still good by tasting it to see if it was sweet

Yeah, and years ago watch makers in the assembly line who put on the radioactive glow in the dark stuff for the watch hands licked their brush points to make them pointier. LoL...

I've gotten a bit of EngineKool stuff in my mouth when sucking on hose too...I just spit it out and rinsed out my mouth and made sure not to swallow. I never noticed any bad effects.

eeksters · 11-09-03, 04:27 PM

i've tasted antifreeze plenty of times to determine what the puddle on my driveway was.. never had any effect on me

#Rotor · 11-09-03, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by eeksters
i've tasted antifreeze plenty of times to determine what the puddle on my driveway was.. never had any effect on me

and how many times was it the neigbors dog, that puddled on your cars wheel....

ehwweeooo...

NeoMoses · 11-09-03, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ILikeMy240sx
wait.... drinking alcohol cures anti-freeze poisoning??

I don't get it. If your liver "thinks" its alcohol and tries to break it down but is not successful, how can giving the liver more work by drinking alcohol will help breakdown ethlyn?

As it was explained to me (and don't quote this as the gospel truth) the alcohol just keeps your liver busy and allows the Ethylene Glycol to pass right through it, without doing any harm.

Anyway, hope you're feeling better.

eeksters · 11-09-03, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by #Rotor

and how many times was it the neigbors dog, that puddled on your cars wheel....

ehwweeooo...

LOL!

L337 M33P · 11-09-03, 05:21 PM

Yes, the major component of ethylene glycol poisoning is the breakdown products made by the liver. The enzyme that hydrolyses alcohol also hydrolyses Ethylene Glycol, but the byproducts are more lethal and can cause kidney failure. Knocking back a few means that there is also alcohol floating round, and the enzyme hydrolyses the alcohol in preference to the glycol. Therefore the ethylene glycol can pass out "whole" through the kidneys. Well, that's the plan anyways. Only 120ml is enough to kill you.

#Rotor · 11-09-03, 06:40 PM

aaa see see!!!!! I wasn't too far off was I....

I'm still no MD though....

11-09-03, 09:05 AM	Thread Starter #1
ILikeMy240sx Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: University of Michigan	Anti-freeze poisoning... Last night I was working with anti-freeze coolant (25% coolant, 75% distilled water) a little bit got on my lips and I didn't think to wash if off or anything since it was so little... Since last night Im having upset stomach (nausea, wanna vomit) and headache, dizziness.... Would that little amount cause poisoning to make me this sick????
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 09:09 AM	#2
juliendogg Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: NC, USA	it's possible, ethylene glycol is some nasty nasty stuff. A small amount of it can kill small animals. If it was that diluted, i wouldn't have expected it to make u sick. But i suppose it could have. J. Hope u feel betta man __________________ AOpen H 700B TT TR2 750 Gigabyte GA-M57SLI S4 Phenom 9750 CM Hyper 212 Evo 2x Palit GTX 560ti 8GB of some kind of crappy ram
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 09:25 AM	#3
altec polka dot ninja Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Doylestown, PA	Man, I hope its not the ethylene glycol that is making you feel bad. That is some very very nasty stuff. If you continue to feel bad, I would go see a doc, and describe your delimma.....that stuff can cause some serious damage. __________________ The rig was destroyed by a scissor-happy maniac with a grudge :argue: :bang head
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 09:44 AM	#4
omaticrail Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Seattle area	Dude, call a poison control center immediately. It can't hurt to ask. __________________ -------------------------- System built in 2005 -------------------------- CPU: Venice 3200 @ 2.55Ghz mobo: ASRock 939Dual-SATAII RAM: 1GB Corsair XMS PC3200 WB: Storm G4 Rad: BIP3 Fans: 3x Panaflo M1A GPU WB: Maze4 Acetal Pump: DDC
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 11:29 AM	#5
JasonKosi Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: A place where Macs and PCs play well together. The land of lollipops and make-believe! :)	Definitely call your local poison control center. That said, I doubt you got a lethal dose. 25% of a few drops of a anti-freeze/water solution works out to be a truely miniscule amount. Have you eaten anything un- or under-cooked recently? Ethylene glycol poisoning in small animals typically leads to kidney/renal failure. Poisoning is detectable by crystals in the kidneys and consquently the urine. Symptoms in cats are similar to alcohol intoxication. There is no antidote for feline ethylene glycol poisoning. Dogs are more lucky as there is an antidote that is fairly effective if administered soon enough. Humans have a huge advantage over most small animals: mass. The amount of poison required to adversely a human is generally significantly greater than that of small animal. The real danger of ethylene glycol is not that it's just poisonous, but the fact that it is also known to taste pleasantly sweet. If it tastes good, it can't be poisonous, right?
	QUOTE Thanks

Anti-freeze poisoning...

Internet Services

Website Development

Tech Hardware

11-09-03, 11:45 AM	#6
BladeRunner Yoda of Silent cooling Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Chesterfield Uk	Unlikely as I've often siphoned my cooling system by sucking on a tube and got a mouthful of coolant, (25% ethylene glycol). Of course everybody is different and some maybe effected by a smaller amount than others........... seek medical advice if your symptoms remain the same or worsen and avoid doing it again
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 12:04 PM	#7
JDXNC Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Québec, Canada Èh?	If you keep feeling like that seek help, but that small amount would not worry me too much.... years ago people used to check if the anti-freeze in thier car was still good by tasting it to see if it was sweet... if so its still good. Thats no BS! __________________ Desktop: AMD Phenom 9550 @ 2.6Ghz @ 1.25v Gigabyte GA-MA770-DS3 \| OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 4 X 1GB G.Skill Phoenix 60GB SSD \| Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB \| Radeon HD 3650 512MB \| Dual 19" LCD's Heatware
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 12:33 PM	Thread Starter #8
ILikeMy240sx Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: University of Michigan	Hey thanx everyone... I went to a doc anywayz cuz I kept throwing up... The doc gave me something they use for alcohol poisoning (I forgot the name but it helps your body detox quickly) and some cookies now im sorta feeling better (still a lil dizzy...) but man.. what a bad experience...
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 12:34 PM	Thread Starter #9
ILikeMy240sx Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: University of Michigan	Oh by the way, I don't want anyone to try this or anything but my Zerex tasted bitter not sweet... Maybe they fixed the formula so it tasted bitter?
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 12:37 PM	#10
#Rotor Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bradford Ontario Canada	you have to know what it does, to understand it's toxicity... because it is a molecular cousin of our good ol friend the Alcohol molecule, and since I'm sure there was some degree of "inbreeding" involved with these two moleculs ... our livers have a really hard time knowing the one from the other.... Alcohol is a no-brainier.... it gets broken down and pee'ed out..... problem is that ethylene is not all that easy to brake down.... so what happens is your liver , still thinking it's alcohol, seems to bust it's guts on trying to get the job done... from there the toxicity.... apparently the best remedy for taking a nice big gulp of antifreeze.... oooo this is bad medicine.... "take lotsa alcohol" probably why you never here of any mechanics dying of antifreeze poisoning.... apparently it make it easier for the liver, I am no MD though.. so don't take anything I say as gospel.. K!!
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 12:46 PM	Thread Starter #11
ILikeMy240sx Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: University of Michigan	wait.... drinking alcohol cures anti-freeze poisoning?? I don't get it. If your liver "thinks" its alcohol and tries to break it down but is not successful, how can giving the liver more work by drinking alcohol will help breakdown ethlyn?
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 12:49 PM	#12
BladeRunner Yoda of Silent cooling Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Chesterfield Uk	That explains it then as being a mechanic I'm usually over 40% alcohol content at all times
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 03:02 PM	#13
Soja Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: OC, CA	lol __________________ e4300 @ 3006mhz 1.55v • abit ib9 • 2x1gb • x800gto @ 615/620 • corsair hx520w • ubuntu feisty fawn • fold • heat
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 04:27 PM	#15
eeksters Registered Join Date: Oct 2003	i've tasted antifreeze plenty of times to determine what the puddle on my driveway was.. never had any effect on me
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 05:21 PM	#19
L337 M33P Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: TEH INTERNETS	Yes, the major component of ethylene glycol poisoning is the breakdown products made by the liver. The enzyme that hydrolyses alcohol also hydrolyses Ethylene Glycol, but the byproducts are more lethal and can cause kidney failure. Knocking back a few means that there is also alcohol floating round, and the enzyme hydrolyses the alcohol in preference to the glycol. Therefore the ethylene glycol can pass out "whole" through the kidneys. Well, that's the plan anyways. Only 120ml is enough to kill you.
	QUOTE Thanks

11-09-03, 06:40 PM	#20
#Rotor Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bradford Ontario Canada	aaa see see!!!!! I wasn't too far off was I.... I'm still no MD though....
	QUOTE Thanks

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search