Children involved in laundry detergent packet incidents increased by 17% during the period 2013-2014. This is the latest statistic according to a new study, which was recently published in the Journal Pediatrics.
More than 62 000 detergent related calls were received by Poison Control Centers in the U.S during 2013-2014 and according to the study, the concentrated laundry-detergent packets or pods are more dangerous to young children than any other detergent type.
Part of the problem is that some of these laundry pods resemble candy, which make young children curious and they end up putting it in their mouth and bite into it, leading the pod to explode.
Although there are already efforts from makers of concentrated laundry-detergent packets to improve safety, there is clearly still a need for manufacturers to continue to find ways to make them safer for children.
Containers are now being made opaque with added child-resistant closures and warning labels have been added to some products in order to prevent accidents. Companies have also made the laundry pods tougher and now coat the product in a bitter substance designed to deter children.
The study recommends that in addition to the above, educational efforts and public awareness may help prevent detergent related incidents in the future.
How can parents prevent laundry detergent incidents at home?
- Laundry detergents should be stored up and out of sight of children. It should be kept in a locked cabinet to help prevent your child from getting hold of it.
- While doing laundry and when detergents are in use, parents and child caregivers should not leave the product accessible to children.
- To prevent incidents, households with children younger than 6 years of age should make use of traditional laundry detergent rather than laundry detergent packets or pods.
Watch the full report by WCCO – CBS Minnesota:
Via: WCCO – CBS Minnesota
One company doing something about this is Tide – their advert challenges parents to spot the risks babies can get to within 5 seconds. Can you spot all 9 of them?
Via: YouTube
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