What is denatonium benzoate? It's a fair question to ask. It is a chemical compound that belongs to a class of bitters, and is most commonly used as a bittering agent powder in industrial and commercial products.

Studies have shown that the addition of bittering agents to solutions or consumable items decrease the amount of time an individual spends interacting with or ingesting said item. The idea here is that adding denatonium benzoate to antifreeze would cause the solution to change from its deceptively sweet flavor to a bitter and unsavory one, and become less favorable or ingestible, which in turn would decrease the amount of toxic substance consumed.

This is not a new argument. 17 of the 50 states have passed legislation requiring the addition of denatonium benzoate, or some other bittering agent, to antifreeze, starting with Oregon in 1991. There have even been voluntary movements amongst antifreeze manufacturers and some members of Congress, most recently dating back to 2013, for the addition as well. However, as antifreeze can still be sold legally without the addition of a bittering agent, and as its toxicity continues to harm more Americans and animals, it is as critical as ever for the US to adopt this as national law.

Now, when advocating for a change that requires extra additives or expenses to be incurred, it is important to provide a cost-benefit analysis. While the value of a human life transcends all tangible and monetary means, and as such, demands the change regardless of cost, providing physical numbers also aids in debate. The interesting thing to note though, is that the addition of a bittering agent virtually seems to come at no additional cost. PEAK Long Life Prediluted Antifreeze and Coolant retails at $9.04, while Prestone Extended Life Prediluted Antifreeze and Coolant retails at $8.88. According to the Safety Data Sheets for both mixtures, which include relevant information regarding safety, health, and handling processes, both antifreezes contain either the same ingredients, or chemical substitutes, except in the case of a bittering agent, in which PEAK antifreeze has denatonium benzoate, and Prestone has none. While not representative of all antifreeze mixtures, the minute $0.16 price difference between the two solutions could be the pivotal difference in thousands of more human and animal lives lost, a pressing yet logical reason for why a bittering agent must be required in all antifreeze mixtures.