windshield washer fluid - hazardous?

[gaitau]

hi, we are so glad to found this forum. we moved here from california last year and purchased a prius last december. yesterday, we finally used up all the winshield washer fluid because of the snow and rain. however, when we went to get some anti-freeze washer fluid, we noticed that the bottle has a crossbone skull on it and it is labeled as poison. back in california, we used plain water as washer fluid for our previous car because the temperature never fell below zero in the area where we lived. so, we got some possibly ignorant questions about anti-freeze windshield washer fluid:

is anti-freeze washer fluid safe for the environment? is it safe for the paint of the car? if we touch it, do we need to wash our hands immediately? is there a brand that is safe than others? how do we use it?

any comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[FBear]

If I am not mistaken the skull and cross bones are because most of the cheap anti-freeze windshield washer fluid contains methyl alchol. If injested can cause blindness and othe digestive problems.

[SomervillePrius]

Good question! I do think anti-freeze is poisonous as I know that dogs can die if they drink it and that it’s sweet so that they are tempted to do so. I don’t know how much they need to drink though.

I don’t think it’s dangerous to touch (you probably have to consume a gallon to feel the effects) and I don’t think it’s dangerous for your car paint.

I also suspect that you must use it as normal water will freeze. I would be interested in an environmentally sounder alternative that worked. I have never seen one.

[Tempus]

If it uses Methanol, yes it's very toxic, and also dangerous to pets and wild-life.

There are fluids available that use other anti-freeze components that are much less hazardous.

[SomervillePrius]

OK, gotta go double check mine....

[gaitau]

Originally posted by Tempus@Feb 6 2006, 01:50 PM
If it uses Methanol, yes it's very toxic, and also dangerous to pets and wild-life.

There are fluids available that use other anti-freeze components that are much less hazardous.

[snapback]204601[/snapback]

hi tempus, do you have any specific components in mind? i searched the Web but only found alternatives for summer driving. i hope the heated fluid innovation would become more popular soon.

we just feel uneasy to use some chemical that is known to be poisonous and spray/spread it all over when we use the wiper.

[jeromep]

Originally posted by gaitau+Feb 6 2006, 11:20 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gaitau @ Feb 6 2006, 11:20 AM)</div>

Gosh, I didn't know that people lived here at PriusChat. I know I spend too much time here, but didn't realize it was possible to live in cyberspace. Oh well, will wonders never cease. :P

If you feel so inclined posting your location in your profile would be helpful. You don't have to be too specific, but a general geographical location is good enough for us to know what kind of weather or topography you are challenged with.

<!--QuoteBegin-gaitau@Feb 6 2006, 02:10 PM
hi tempus, do you have any specific components in mind?  I searched the Web but only found alternatives for summer driving.  i hope the heated fluid innovation would become more popular soon.

we just feel uneasy to use some chemical that is known to be poisonous and spray/spread it all over when we use the wiper.

[snapback]204702[/snapback]

As much as I think heated wiper fluid is a nice touch, it will most certainly not be heated when the vehicle is off, and that means that fluid in the lines or pump can still freeze making a mess of the washer system. That means that we will have some form of alcohol in washer fluid for a long time to come.

I guess I'm not as concerned as many, however in our lives we are surrounded by and use poisonous items every day. I'm sure you can find less poisonous wiper fluid, however I'm sure it will cost a lot more and it might not be as effective. If you use your washers a lot that means you will be paying a lot more, too. Vehicles are filled with poisonous or harmful fluids. All coolants are poisonous. I wouldn't be out there drinking motor oil, or gasoline. I don't think that transmission fluid is much better either. And I'm inclined that knawing on the plastics of the engine compartment aren't going to be good for you either.

I think it would be better to purchase garden variety washer fluid use it as directed and place the partially used container in a place where children or pets won't get to it. In addition, many brands of washer fluid use child resistant caps.

As a suggestion, during the summer you can dilute down your washer fluid with water. That can be helpful as sometimes it is quite soapy, more so than you actually need. However in the winter you will want to go back to a full strength solution.

[galaxee]

MeOH is pretty quick to evaporate, really.

blindness only happens if ingested orally. i get strong whiffs of that stuff all the time in lab. it's not pleasant, but does not pose a danger to your vision.

i believe antifreeze contains ethylene glycol, which is the poisonous component. i should know what it does, but i'm a pharmacologist in training, not a toxicologist in training.

[lisamarie]

I am a psych RN. I've known several patients who tried to kill themselves drinking anitfreeze (and one who succeeded). One of the MD's said that the main reason one of our patient's attempts had been unsuccessful was because the patient had consumed a large amount of alcohol around the same time he decided to drink the antifreeze. Had he been sober at the time, the patient probably would have died.

[Tempus]

I know 303 makes washer fluid replacement tablets. I don't know about their anti-freeze properties.

I also know there are recipies out there for rolling your own using Isopropyl Alchohol and Detergent.

I'm not sure about specific generally available cold-climate low-temperature prepackaged ones, but I'm curious now, I'll start looking