Pinky,

Me thinks either your mechanic may not have given you the whole story or
perhaps you have come to a somewhat erroneous conclusion from the
information he gave you.  Yes, antifreeze (a generic term for *many*
different formulations of products) is toxic, but generally only so if
INGESTED.  The amount that may be absorbed through the skin when
servicing your vehicle, cleaning up a spill, or any other sane use of
the product is trivial.  In general, the primary concern about
antifreeze toxicity is in relation to animals.  Dogs & cats will lick up
antifreeze spills because it tastes sweet.

It is not at all uncommon in most moderate to severe front-end
collisions for the cooling system integrity to be compromised, spraying
antifreeze/water all over.  If this substance were as lethal as you make
it out to be, we'd have to have HAZMAT crews dispatched every time some
ya-hoo had a car wreck.

The compartment under the driver's seat generally the same construction
as the compartment under the passenger seat: a battery compartment.  A
battery contains acid which if contacted with your skin, even in small
quantities, will be much worse than a similar antifreeze exposure.

Finally, considering Jeff's job (vanagon parts supplier/repair shop), I
think he safely fits into the experts category for all intents and purposes.

Here is a link to a PDF that specifically addresses the potential
toxicity of ethylene glycol (primary constituent in most antifreeze)
when absorbed through the skin:
http://www.huntsman.com/surface_sciences/Media/Skin_Contact.pdf

Below is a link to an article that gives an overview of the toxicity of
the various constituents of most antifreeze products:
http://www.vspn.org/Library/misc/VSPN_M00981.htm

Cheers,
JD

>
>Why do you carry antifreeze within the confines of the passenger compartment
>of your van?  My mechanic told me that as innocuous as antifreeze might seem
>to be, it is an utterly ***toxic*** substance.  Please, for your own safety and
>well being, allow only your mechanic to handle antifreeze.  It is too, too
>dangerous to have it stored where it might be spilt in the unfortunate and
>unpredictable event of an accident.  Some things just ***have*** to be left to the
>experts.
>
>Pinky
>
>