Laundry Pods Still Dangerous for Children

Philip Copitch, Ph.D. - Author of Basic Parenting 101: The Manual Your Child Should Have Been Born With

Back in October 2012 I reported in this blog that colorful laundry detergent pods get the attention of young children. The pods do resemble candy to my adult eye, so I assume toddlers and young children might also see them as sweet treats.

Hospitalization 4 times more common

Hospitalization was 4 times more likely with detergent pods than liquid or powder detergent contact, according to a study in Injury Prevention.

The researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, reviewed 36,000 cases of children being treated in U.S. emergency rooms for exposure to laundry detergent during the years 2012 to 2014. 

The records showed that 26,000 children had contact with liquid or powdered detergent and almost 10,000 additional children were hurt by laundry pods.  Most of the children were treated for contact dermatitis (irritation, redness, itchy skin, burning of skin or eyes). But of note, children were much more likely to be poisoned if they got hold of the laundry pods.

The authors stated:

Poisoning (71.3%) was the most common diagnosis for pod detergent while contact dermatitis (72.2%) was most common for non-pod detergent. Hospitalization occurred in 12.5% of pod detergent cases and just 3.0% of non-pod cases. Compared with non-pod detergent, those exposed to pod detergent were 4 times as likely to be hospitalized.

Laundry detergent is dangerous

The warning here is clear. Laundry detergent is dangerous for the little ones and laundry pods are by far the most dangerous. 

In case of emergency call 911.

For more information on the dangers of laundry products please read: Laundry Product Poison and Prevention Info at poison.org. They advise:

Prevent poisonings by storing laundry products out of sight and reach of children. Also, keep products in their original containers. Countless children (and adults!) have swallowed bleach from a cup, thinking it was water. Pouring bleach into a cup, then leaving it on the counter or washing machine, is an invitation to poisoning.

If a child gets into a laundry product, here's what to do:

• If the product is in the eyes or on the skin, flush with running water for at least 15 minutes, then call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. The poison specialist will ask a few questions about what happened and if there are any symptoms. Then, the specialist will tell you exactly what to do. Most of the time, the incident can be managed at home if you call Poison Control right away.
• If the product is swallowed, give a small amount of water or milk. Then use the webPOISONCONTROL® online tool for guidance or call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Both resources can help with common scenarios like:
• My child drank bleach (like Clorox). What should I do? Is it poisonous?My child bit a laundry pod (such as TidePods, all® mighty pacs®, Purex UltraPacks, Gain flings). Is it dangerous? Should I take him to the emergency room?

• My child ate a fabric softener sheet or a dryer sheet (such as Bounce or Snuggle).
• My child drank a fabric softener (such as Downy, Snuggle, Gain, Final Touch, Purex).
• My child swallowed laundry detergent (for example, All, Tide, Purex, Arm & Hammer, Wisk, Sun, Oxi, Persil, Xtra, Cheer).

Pets too

FYI: It is a good idea to keep laundry supplies away from our pets too!

Please let me know what you think by clicking the “comments” below.