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Heat Pump Antifreeze Pollution

The Environmental Protection Agency forbids used antifreeze from a radiator or your home heat pump from being tossed into the dirt or flushed into sewage treatment plants. Because they contain heavy metals that are harmful to public health, these fluids must be handled by a mobile recycling service or a hazardous waste recycling facility.

  1. The Problem

    • The EPA estimates that only about 12 percent of old antifreeze is recycled every year. The rest is discharged into the environment, a practice that has sweeping public health and biological consequences, according to a report by a team of researchers at the University of New Mexico on heat pump antifreeze.

    Types of Antifreeze Pollution

    • The four most common types of antifreeze, according to the UNM study, are methanol, ethanol, propylene glycol and potassium acetate --- in that order. When used, numerous other heavy metals also appear.

    Methanol the Best?

    • Though the most common antifreeze, methanol has a higher risk of fire, health implications and environmental risks than the others. Propylene glycol and potassium acetate, by comparison, pose lower risks for pollution but are more expensive too.

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