Teens consuming detergent pods in new online trend
A new online trend has teenagers putting laundry pods into their mouths.
The dangerous new online challenge comes as the American Association of Poison Control Centers says there’s been a steep spike in the number of cases of teens misusing laundry pods in just the first 11 days of 2018. There have been 40 cases so far, and counting.
“They’re serious enough to cause possible diarrhea and vomiting, and they’re in such a high concentration they could be deadly, depending on the age of the person or the heal of the person who decided to consume them,” said David Johnson with the Washington State Department of Health. “Our call to action out there would be pods are very toxic. Don’t eat them, put them in your washing machine, don’t put them in your mouth.”
This isn’t the first time Tide Pods have come under fire. The small colorful laundry pods are a major source of concern for small children, who mistake them for candy. In 2017, the American Association of Poison Control Centers said there were reports of more than 10,000 “exposures to highly concentrated packets of laundry detergent by children 5 and under.”
Tide’s parent company Proctor and Gamble told ABC News, “nothing is more important to us than the safety of the people who use our products. They should not be played with, whatever the circumstance is, even if meant as a joke.”
For any type of exposure, question, or if you need help, call the local poison center at 1-800-222-1222, or text poison to 797979.
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