Pet Antifreeze Poisoning and House Bill 96 in Ohio

I ran across a sad article yesterday in the Columbus Dispatch by a writer who lost a dog to antifreeze poisoning. It made readers aware of an Ohio House Bill that would require manufacturers to add a bittering agent to any antifreeze sold in the state. You can read HB 96 here.

The bill does have some exceptions, most notably it will not apply to cars sold containing antifreeze or containers of 55 gallons or more. I'm also interested to find out whether other states are considering legislation of this kind, or whether similar legislation may evolve nationally.

The Ohio bill currently seems to be moving forward and gaining support. I would encourage those interested in seeing continued movement to contact their representatives and make your feelings known. Passage would obviously save the lives of many children and pets that find current formulations not only palatable, but sweet and tasty. It seems the cost would be negligible, and the bill also reduces manufacturer liability for companies complying with the law.

The Dispatch article mentioned that over 5,000 children and 10,000 pets are poisoned annually.