Detergent Pods Dangerous

Detergent companies have come out with a new “detergent pod” for doing laundry. The one time use clothing cleaners are designed to reduce spills and bulky bottles but have dangerous side effects, too. It seems children are mistaking the brightly colored pods for candy or a teething toy and ingesting them. Senator Charles Schumer of New York thinks The Consumer Product Safety Commission should crack down on detergent companies and make them do something about it. Schumer said the pods look so much like candy he wanted to eat one.

There have been 200 cases reported to poison control centers nationwide since May of this year, but that number jumped to 1,210 by the end of June. The pods are supposed to make household chores easier, which they do, but the side effect is worrisome. In one case, a 15-month-old who bit into a packet and breathed the contents began vomiting and had to be put on a ventilator. Medical professionals are warning parents to keep the colorful pods locked in a storage space so children don’t have access.

The pods have caused serious injury in Europe where they have been on the market for several years, but there are no plans to remove the pods from the market.  Proctor and Gamble announced they would be implementing a new double-latch lid for their containers, a move Senator Schumer hopes others will follow.