Laundry Detergent Pods- a new danger

The newest trend for washing clothes is a detergent “pod”. All the big named manufactures of laundry detergent are developing “Pods”. The convenience and attractiveness of the product is because it is pre-measured, easy to handle, no spills, and the packaging dissolves in the wash to make the task of laundry easier. Unfortunately these convenient pods present a major problem, they are super attractive to small children, the bright colored packet looks like candy and the container looks like a candy jar. The child can view the pod as a toy to be played with or squeezed. The pods can cause a potential risk for the small child that was not foreseen in the process.

Children biting into the detergent pod develop severe vomiting; some children have become unconscious and ended up in the intensive care units. This is not always the case, but the risk is there. The pods contain a concentrated laundry detergent that is very irritated to the eyes, skin, mouth, and throat. Moisture causes the “pod” casing to dissolve, releasing the ingredients into the mouth. The pod breaks and splashes the child in the eye can cause severe eye irritation. The poison control centers have received numerous calls on exposures to these products. Some of the symptoms can be severe requiring hospitalization. Fortunately no children have died from the exposure.

The manufacturers are attempting to make the containers safer for this product safer by adding a safety latch. The recommendation is to keep the product out of reach of children. The responsibility of safe handling and storage falls on the adults in the child’s home as the method of injury prevention.

Prevention:

• Store the container out of reach children
• Make sure the container is closed
• Do not allow children to handle the “pods”
• Educate the child this is not candy or a toy; it is poison

What to do if a child is exposed:

Ingestion:

• Remove the product from the child’s mouth
• Wipe out the child’s mouth with a wet wash cloth
• Wash the child’s face and hands
• Call the poison control center immediately

Eye exposure:

• Rinse the eye gently with luke-warm water for 15 minutes
• Call the poison control center