Ethanol has been used clinically as an intravenous (IV) treatment of antifreeze poisoning (ethylene glycol) or as a preventative to antifreeze poisoning. The intravenous treatment is a mix of ethanol in different percentages, the most common being 5%, 10% or even 95%.
As an antifreeze poisoning treatment, ethanol prevents the key ingredient in antifreeze, the ethylene glycol, from being metabolized into toxic chemicals in the body. This lets the body remove the ethylene glycol harmlessly through the body’s waste. Simply speaking, the ethanol lets you “pee it out”.