Laundry Detergent Pods Poisoning Children

[Meg]

Please spread the word! By the time the child realizes the stuff tastes terrible, its already too late!

Laundry Detergent Pods Poisoning Children | ABC News Blogs - Yahoo! News

To some kids, the bright colors and bite-size packaging of single-doss packets of laundry detergent simply look too much like candy. Last night, one-and-a-half-year-old Jeivon Williams put one in his mouth and it burst. He was rushed to the emergency room with severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
The packets are advertised as no more mess, spills or heavy jugs of detergent, but the American Association of Poison Control Centers is reporting a recent surge in calls about the packets making children violently ill.
"The children who are getting into these little pods are developing many more symptoms than we would have expected," Bruce Ruck, director of drug information and professional education at New Jersey Poison Center, told ABC News.
The same thing that gives the packets their cute, convenient appeal is the very reason they are so incredibly dangerous. The container for Tide Pods even resembles a candy jar. Responding to the concerns, Tide told ABC News it plans to have new child proof containers out this summer and the detergent company, Dropps, defended its products.

Of course they're justifying themselves!! Don't they always!!!

[Lynn]

Meg, thanks for the alert regarding the danger of this product. Though we no longer have small children, many others who read at RF probably do have, and this is an important message, so that they can take proper precautions to protect their little ones.

[livin_in_the_Son]

Thanks Meg! Even though I don't buy that (because it's too pricey) I will make sure I NEVER buy it now.

What shocks me is that the only consession to be made is to put child proof caps on the products! My daughter opened a vitamin bottle (still safety sealed) when she was 1 yr. so that cap was pointless.

When I asked the pharmacist for locking caps on my son's meds (because they aren't vitamins) instead of child-proof caps, he told me that there was no such thing as child-proof, and all I could do to ensure my children's safety was to lock up anything that was dangerous.

I hope that parents take heed to this warning.

[maryrae]

I've seen these in our grocery store as well, and thought that they looked too much like candy....very tempting to little ones!!!!
Our local store manager said that eventually this is all you'll be able to purchase! I hope that saner heads prevail & the parent companies take a good look at their products safety etc!

[A24AW]

When I saw these in the store, I thought they were the dumbest thing on the market. Who would buy them? You can not do a small load using them because they are premeasured for a regular load. Complete waste of money. Knowing my luck, I would place them in the washer and the casing wouldn't dissolve and I would still have a load of dirty clothes only now they would be wet dirty clothes.

[Everlasting Life]

Yikes...good to know about this!