'Powerade' for Cars being 'Toxins' for Human

Anyone who owns a vehicle might know what this liquid is. Yes, it's a windshield washer fluid. This fluid is used for cleaning the car windshield, sprayed across the front window of the car and wiped with a wiper. However, I have recently read an article that this liquid is in fact extremely detrimental.

People may ask, "Then why not use just a water?" Water is a common thing that we use to clean in household, but water has fairly high freezing point (0 degree Celsius), compared to the windshield washer, which is about -50 degree Celsius. So, during winter in some places, water may be vulnerable.

In addition, the fluid used for the washer needs to evaporate fast enough to not cover the driver's sight. Those washer fluid that we can easily find around consists of 'Alcohol' (-OH), more specifically Methanol (CH3OH), which evaporates quickly.

However, Methanol that is used for the fluid, is actually extremely toxic. The reports say that if we drink 10mL of Methanol, our optic nerve gets damaged, possibly losing our sight, and if 30mL was drunk, we might lose our life. When Methanol is absorbed in our body, it turns into a chemical called 'Formaldehyde.' Let me show you how Formaldehyde affects our body in detail.

• Less than 0.1 ppm: Stimulates our eyes, nose, and throat
• 0.25-0.05 ppm: Disability in our respiratory system
• 2.0-5.0 ppm: Aggravate pain
• 10.0-20.0 ppm: Difficulty in Breathing
• More than 50.0 ppm: Acute Poisoning, leading to death

For the solution, some Advanced European countries like Germany is requiring the washer fluid companies to substitute Methanol to Ethanol-Germany actually banned using Methanol consisted washer fluid. Ethanol, in fact, is very similar to Methanol. 

Its chemical equation is C2H5OH and it is surprisingly, a main component of alcohol that we drink.

Researchers think, 'Acetaldehyde' that comes out of Ethanol is safer than Methanol. 

As a student who's studying chemistry, I am just curious why firms are not creating better washer fluid. Is it because developing a better one costs more, or is using methanol cheaper than any other chemicals for the washer fluid? Well I really think that it is now the time for us to think how to moderate our health and our convenience.