Laundry pods continue to poison people

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, each year 55 centers receive millions of calls, the majority from people who have come into contact with dangerous or potentially dangerous substances. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says every day more than 300 children in the U.S. are treated in an emergency room as a result of poisoning.  However, these are not just linked to chemicals but also to everyday items such as household cleaners and medications. A recent study from the Central Ohio Poison Center evaluated those who had eye exposures to dangerous products and found while the annual frequency of exposures has declined by 37%, cleaning products accounted for 22%.  Poison statistics reveal cleaning substances are the second most common reason for poison exposure in children younger than 6. The greatest number of exposures were from cosmetics and personal care products, followed closely by cleaning substances, for which there were 109,563 reports in 2017.  One cleaning supply that has come under the microscope in the past several years is single-load laundry detergent pods. Read more...

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