Arizona moved a step closer to enacting a law that will save countless animal lives and reduce the number of childhood emergencies with the state Senate's passage of S.B. 1323, by a wide margin of 28 to 2.
Introduced by Senator Barbara Leff (R-11), the Antifreeze Safety Act has been endorsed by the Humane Society Legislative Fund, The Humane Society of the United States, the Doris Day Animal League, Honeywell and the Consumer Specialty Products Association.
The bill would require that engine coolant/antifreeze that is more that 10 percent ethylene glycol must also contain denatonium benzoate, the world's bitterest known substance, to render it unpalatable. Hundreds of children and thousands of animals, including companion animals and endangered species, are accidentally poisoned each year from ingesting antifreeze. Its sweet taste attracts them, but less than a teaspoon can be fatal. One survey found that two out of three veterinarians see at least one accidental ethylene glycol poisoning each year.
"Poisoning occurs with this product because it is often inadvertently spilled in our driveways or left in open containers in our garages," said Sara Amundson, executive director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. "In addition to these accidents, we know of numerous cases where individuals have deliberately given antifreeze to animals because they wanted to rid themselves of a bothersome barking dog or wandering cat."
The bill is now headed to the Arizona House of Representatives for consideration. A hearing is expected to be set as early as next week.
"We're very grateful to Senator Leff for her leadership on this important piece of legislation," said Kari Nienstedt, Arizona state program coordinator for The Humane Society of the United States. "It will help prevent numerous unnecessary and preventable deaths every year."
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