Laundry Detergent Pods Pose Serious Poisoning Risk, Hundreds Of US Kids Harmed [Study]

Convenience comes at the cost of their child’s health for over 700 families. New studies show that laundry pods pose a serious health risk to small children.

CTV News reports that laundry pods pose such a great risk to children due to their shape, size, and colorful design. Laundry detergent pods can be mistaken for a toy or candy which leads to some small children consuming the highly concentrated product or squirting it in the eye after a pod bursts. Researchers note that in just two years, 700 U.S. children landed in the hospital due to the pods. Coma and seizures were among the most serious complications. The poisoning or injuries, including mouth, throat, and eye burns, can occur when kids burst the capsules or put them in their mouths, according to the study.

The cases of hospitalization stem from the more than 17,000 poison center calls about the products received in the past two years. The calls involved children younger than 6, and while most weren’t seriously harmed, the side effects can be severe and require hospitalization. Death is also possible. One child died last year from consuming the laundry pods, and the potential risks highlight a need for even safer packaging, the researchers said.

Though death and hospitalization only occurred in about 4 percent of all pod consumption cases, the risk is still very real. Aside from hospitalization and death, Fox News reports that adverse health effects included vomiting (48 percent of cases), coughing and choking (13 percent), eye pain or irritation (11 percent), drowsiness or lethargy (7 percent), mouth pain, burning, difficulty breathing, and windpipe injuries. While vomiting is a symptom with traditional liquids and powders, typically it happens once or twice and that’s the end of it. With the pods, side effects are significantly worse.

The study showed that very scary side effects and the potentially deadly reactions that can occur. A number of children had to be admitted to intensive care and intubated, while a handful fell into a coma. Others showed a “significant altered mental state” and had trouble staying awake. The risks are very real when it comes to children and concentrated laundry pods.

At the completion of the study, it was determined that there were 17,230 poison center calls about young kids getting into the packets, including 769 children who were hospitalized. Dr. Gary Smith, the study’s lead author, said his hospital had two recent cases of kids who developed breathing problems and required treatment in the intensive care unit. He’s the director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The American Cleaning Institute issued a statement back in March encouraging manufacturers to use labels that prominently list safe handling information. The cleaning institute said it is also working with manufacturers to educate parents. However, despite the efforts, a survey the group released last week suggests many consumers still don’t know about the risks associated with the laundry detergent pods.

Did you know that the laundry detergent pods could cause such serious adverse health risks to children? Do you use laundry pods in your home? How do you ensure they remain out of reach of small children?