December 8, 2014

Colorful Detergent Pods both Appealing and Toxic to Children

The AAPCC recently published a fact sheet on the dangers of pod exposure to children. The association encourages parents and caregivers who use the pods to keep them locked up in a location that’s out of children’s reach.

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) at least 9,935 children age five and younger were exposed to the pods from January 1st to October 31st 2014.
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A study recently published in Pediatrics underscored the danger that single-use laundry detergent pods pose to young children. The study noted that “the colorful, candylike designs of the products may have contributed to a recent phenomenon involving young children…ingesting them or bursting them open, exposing their skin or eyes to the detergent chemicals.” Ingestion has led to symptoms ranging from lethargy or difficulty breathing to, in very rare cases, coma or death.