More than 700 children in the U.S. accidentally poison themselves after ingesting laundry detergent packets that are sometimes mistaken for candy, ABC News reported. Seizures and coma were among the most severe complications.
In the past two years, poison control centers have seen 17,000 calls relating to the products. Children under 6 were most commonly affected and weren't seriously sickened. Researchers studying the incidents say that packaging needs to be revamped after a child died last year, highlighting the seriousness of accidental ingestion.
The study has found that poison control centers received less calls after packaging and labels were altered to be safer for children.
The multicolored, liquid soup is bright and may look inviting to young children and became easily accessible in the U.S two years ago. Burns to the throat, mouth and eyes, as well as poisoning, can occur when the pods burst open inside a child's mouth.
Out of the children studied, 30 went into comas, 12 had seizures and 144 had injuries to the eyes.
"We have never seen anything like this with laundry detergent in the past," Dr. Gary Smith, lead author of the study and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, told CBS News. "This is why we need to get the word out to parents if they decide to use this product among young children."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2012 that doctors should be on alert and look for poisoning symptoms in kids that could be due to the pods.
According to Brian Sansoni, a spokesperson for the American Cleaning Institute, accidents with the pods may occur more frequently because the detergent is more concentrated than in other forms.
"Remember, you can wash an entire load of clothes with just one packet," he said.
In August, 13-month-old Zoe Mishler was burned by chemicals in her throat after ingesting a laundry detergent pod, according to a previous article published on HNGN.
The incident was one in 100 accidental ingestions in just Minnesota this year.
