Why are laundry pods dangerous?

“Convenient to not get dirty hands, one piece can handle a bucket of dirty clothes, and has twice the cleaning power” – many people are attracted by these advertising slogans, choose to buy an innovative laundry product called “laundry pods”, and put them It is regarded as a laundry “artifact”, but most people do not know its potential risks, and children have died because of it…

The American medical journal “Pediatrics” recently published a study saying that more and more young children accidentally ingest or inappropriately touch laundry pods, which contain more toxic substances than other laundry detergents.

In the United States, children are reportedly taken to the hospital every day for ingesting laundry pods placed by their parents. And once a child accidentally ingests the laundry pods, the consequences are often very serious. Two children have died as a result!

Accidental ingestion risk: The United States receives 30 emergency calls a day for ingested laundry pods

According to CNN, a new study found that between 2013 and 2014, there was a 17 percent increase in calls to poison control centers across the United States, with more than 22,000 children swallowing or inappropriately touching laundry pods. Most of these children were under the age of 3, and about 30% were already on their way to the hospital. A total of 2 people died, unfortunately.

In addition, according to the statistics of relevant emergency hotlines in the United States, at least 30 emergency calls are received every day in the United States, all of which are related to the accident of children ingesting laundry pods. On average, there are similar calls for help every 45 minutes.

In early 2015, a young mother from Texas, Jessica, accidentally put laundry pods into a “mommy bag” containing baby diapers, wipes and other commonly used items. However, what Jessica did not expect was that the brightly colored laundry pods were put into her mouth as candy by her 6.5-month-old daughter Marlowe. In just a few seconds, little Marlowe began to cough and was rushed to the hospital. On the way, little Marlow kept vomiting. Although it was discovered in time, Marlowe still needed infusion therapy.

The toxicity is very high: May cause coma in children, nearly 50% of children vomit

Reports say the deadly symptoms of children swallowing detergent pods include stopping breathing, coma, and heart attacks. In addition, nearly 50% of children who ingested by mistake experienced vomiting. Other symptoms include cough, eye pain, drowsiness or pink eye.

The researchers pointed out that laundry pods are more toxic than washing powder and liquid detergent. “Whether the laundry pods come into contact with a child’s skin or enter the body, it is very dangerous, and such an event can easily cause serious injury or even death to the child.” The researchers said.

In addition, the relevant US agencies also conducted a statistic, the results show that among all the incidents of children’s injuries caused by detergents, laundry pods topped the list, with a proportion of 45%, while traditional washing powder and liquid detergent accounted for 17%. , 4% dishwashing liquid, 5% special washing block for dishwashing.

Young children can’t tell what laundry pods are. They see colorful, attractive flavors, and smaller objects that they might mistake for candy, or juice. If parents put laundry pods within reach of children, it is likely to be the beginning of the tragedy, children can pick them up and put them in their mouths in a few seconds, or liquid in the laundry beads gets on your skin or eyes.

Scented laundry pods contain high amounts of alpha-iso methyl ionone. Contact with the skin, eyes and other places will cause irritating reactions, resulting in allergic redness and swelling; secondly, laundry pods also contain high concentrations of linalool, which are relatively strong allergens, which may stimulate the central nervous system and cause strong allergic reactions and asthma. Not to mention children, even adults exposed to high levels of these substances can be very dangerous.

A final note to parents, your laundry detergents, makeup, personal care products, and more can all be fascinating to kids, and it often depends on their mood whether to try them or not. For the safety of children, parents should not take any chances. Read product labels carefully to find out which ones are harmful to children and keep them out of reach of children.