Tag: Ethylene glycol

In untreated adults, the half-life of ethylene glycol is approximately 3 to 8 hours. However, this relatively short elimination time for the parent compound is misleading, as its toxic metabolites can persist for days, causing severe and lasting damage, which is key to understanding how long does ethylene glycol stay in the body in a meaningful way.

Ethylene glycol, a common ingredient in antifreeze, is responsible for thousands of poisoning incidents annually in the United States [1.2.4]. Understanding **how long glycol stays in your system** is critical for diagnosis and treatment, as its toxic effects depend on its metabolism.

In 2022, U.S. Poison Control Centers reported 6,079 single exposures to ethylene glycol in automotive products alone [1.7.1]. The term 'glycol' covers a family of chemicals with vastly different safety profiles. Therefore, when asking, **'What are the side effects of glycol?'**, the answer depends entirely on which specific glycol is in question.