Carlstadt chemist accused of poisoning coworker

NorthJersey.com ^ | November 12, 2012 | MEGHAN GRANT

[ConservativeStatement]

CARLSTADT- A former employee at a Carlstadt chemical plant allegedly attempted to poison a coworker's coffee with an antifreeze ingredient and sprayed acid on her coat, Carlstadt Police said.

[ConservativeStatement]

She must be a big Bret Michaels' fan.

[Jack Hydrazine]

I thought ethylene glycol is not that toxic to the human body.

[ConservativeStatement]

Ethylene glycol is a colorless, odorless, sweet-tasting chemical found in many household products, including antifreeze, deicing products, detergents, paints, and cosmetics. It is poisonous if swallowed.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001778/

[Squawk 8888]

It’s also been used to sweeten wine.

[Squawk 8888]

Turns out that it was methanol that she used, not ethylene glycol. That could have been serious.

BTW GUILTY AS SIN!

[DemforBush]

Yikes. Methanol (i.e. “wood alcohol”) is nasty stuff. Blindness, and liver failure and/or death if you drink enough of the stuff (which isn’t that much maybe a shotglass or two, IIRC).

[stellaluna]

Whenever I have to leave my desk the first thing I do is to throw away any drink that I left out. You never know when a co-worker has left a little something extra in your coffee cup or water bottle.

[Cboldt]

Propylene glycol is the harmless stuff. It's even used in pharmaceuticals.

Ethylene is like "wood alcohol." Poison. Not saying is IS wood alcohol, just that the two compounds share the attribute of being poison to the human body.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Thanks for the clarification!