Children, rumor has it, are curious, persistent, and nefarious creatures. Furthermore, the entire natural environment must first be tasted. Thus, age-old cautionary guidance regarding home safety for children to prevent exposure to potentially hazardous materials.
So, naturally, laundry detergent would be kept safely out of reach of children – particularly the pre-packaged pod systems, which are candy-like and perfect for oral consumption – correct?
Nope!
According to this data from the National Poison Data System, in just a single year, there were 17,230 calls for pediatric exposure to laundry detergent pods in just two years, between January 2012 and December 2013. The majority – 79.7% of cases – were secondary to ingestion. 4.4% of patients with an ingestion were judged to necessitate hospitalization, including 102 requiring intubation. One death was reported – but the autopsy showed intracranial bleeding of uncertain/unlikely relation to the ingestion of detergent.
The authors specifically call out Procter & Gamble, maker of Tide Pods, for failure to place adequate warning labels or safety latches on their packaging – although, frankly, the ultimate responsibility lay with parents. Keep cleaning supplies safely out of reach!
“Pediatric Exposure to Laundry Detergent Pods”
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/11/05/peds.2014-0057.abstract