Apparently teens are putting Tide pods in their mouths and biting into it and filming it on camera.  This bizarre trend is causing many teens to get severely sick.

Tide came out with a statement saying, “Our laundry pods are a highly concentrated detergent meant to clean clothes and they’re used safely in millions of households every day. They should be only used to clean clothes and kept up, closed and away from children. They should not be played with, whatever the circumstance is, even if it is meant as a joke.”

This is a very serious matter. The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPC) indicated that 10,570 kids 5 years old and younger were “exposed” to single-load packets from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017. The AAPC defined “exposure” as “someone has had contact with the substance in some way; for example, ingested, inhaled, absorbed by the skin or eyes, etc. Not all exposures are poisonings or overdoses.”

What exactly can happen if you put a laundry detergent pod in your mouth? It can cause nausea and vomiting, and of course death. In response to the injuries, makers of laundry pods have tried to make them safer; in September 2015, the companies voluntarily agreed on a set of safety standards.

• The pods now have a stronger film with an additive that makes them taste repulsive

• The containers they come in are no longer see-through and require more skill to open

• The product features warning labels and safety information about the dangers of ingesting the pods

The researchers say they’re keeping a close eye on how the new regulations affect the number of exposures.

We urge everyone to not bite or ingest these detergent pods.  Doing so can significantly affect your health. Call us today at 732-363-3888.