| Long ago, car owners would just put straight water | | | | Most of us are careful when it comes to using coolant. |
| into the radiator of their cars. Water worked alright, but | | | | Anything that color can't be good for you! Regardless, |
| there was one problem. Well, actually two. The | | | | not a year passes without numerous stories of pets |
| temperatures at which water froze and boiled were | | | | and children that are hospitalized or killed after |
| simply to close together. Driving on a hot summer day | | | | consuming radiator coolant. If you've owned pets and |
| or trying to start you car on a cold winter morning | | | | had kids, you know they will sniff, lick, and put just |
| could result in a host of problems. To overcome this, | | | | about anything in their mouth regardless of how |
| coolant was developed. | | | | revolting it is. Coolant fluid is a unique color and seems |
| Coolant for the cooling system in your car comes | | | | to attract their attention. This can lead to disaster. |
| under many brand names. Notwithstanding this, every | | | | If you work on the car yourself, coolant storage is |
| product has one of two chemicals in it. The vast | | | | something you really need to think about carefully. |
| majority are comprised of 95 percent ethylene glycol. | | | | Coolant is cheap and you don't need it very often. |
| When you mix these products in a 50/50 mix with | | | | Given this, I often just use what I need and then |
| water in your car, you are effectively reducing the | | | | dispose of it. If you are insistent on storing it, the place |
| chance of a freeze or boil over. The ethylene glycol | | | | you use needs to be somewhere that your pets and |
| prevents the water from boiling or freezing at any | | | | kids can't get to. It may sound alarmist, but you are |
| temperature you are likely to run into. If you live in | | | | going to feel pretty stupid and guilt if your kid ends up |
| Siberia, however, all bets are off on the freezing | | | | in the hospital with kidney damage because they got |
| problem! | | | | into the coolant you left on the shelf. Again, this |
| There is one problem with ethylene glycol. It is very | | | | happens every year. |
| toxic. The Environmental Protection Agency has done | | | | I enjoy working on my car. Being safe when doing so |
| studies and put out big warnings on the chemical. | | | | obviously is a smart move, but so is being safe with |
| Why? When ingested, it causes depression, | | | | the toxic products you work with. If you must keep |
| respiratory failure, heart attacks, kidney damage and | | | | coolant around, store it in a manner that won't lead to |
| brain damage. Other than that, it is fine! | | | | a tragedy. |