Liquid capsules and detergents contain concentrated chemicals, they are quick and easy to use and are said to make less mess than traditional washing powders.
But, they are also of a shape and size that is appealing to inquisitive small hands; they are often brightly coloured and tactile too.
Who hasn’t given one a squeeze before placing it in the detergent drawer or popping it inside the washing machine, just to see what happens…?
It is because of their attractiveness to children and an increase in children ingesting laundry pods that advertisers now include more visible warnings as part of a European industry-wide initiative launched several years ago.
If used correctly these products are perfectly safe and effective, even so, it is almost impossible to completely ‘childproof’ anything and to suggest that a product could be made 100% safe would be misleading.
But how common are laundry pod accidents, really?
In many homes, these products are stored so that they are accessible to grown-ups when they are needed – such as under the sink next to the washing machine.
This places them at greater risk of being discovered by young children, particularly as they so enjoy ‘helping out’ with tasks around them home and of course ‘copying’ mummy or daddy and being a ‘big boy’ or girl.
It is a significant risk, no matter how careful we think we are being the figures speak for themselves; Safe Kids Worldwide states that:
- In 2017, there were 10,585 calls to poison centers related to laundry packet incidents involving young children – more than one every hour. That’s a decrease of 19% in the number of annual cases, since the peak in 2015.
- More than 400 children are hospitalized each year after getting into laundry packets.
Meanwhile Public Health England figures for patients treated for poisoning between May 2009 and July 2012 showed that 96% of them were under the age of five, with 8 out of 10 cases involving children swallowing the substance and others involving skin burns and contact with the eyes.
It takes a matter of seconds for a small child to bite into a capsule or break it open. If swallowed, children are likely to cough, choke and subsequently vomit. In some cases they may also become drowsy. Skin contact is also an issue as the chemicals can burn and of course if they get into the eyes can cause more damage.
So what should I do to prevent a laundry pod accident?
In some countries, parents of young children are advised to use traditional detergent powders or liquids instead (conventional liquid detergents tend to be much more diluted than the pods, therefore posing much lower risk of poisoning or other associated dangers).
In this country (the UK) manufacturers continue to make every effort to warn us of the dangers and to make their packaging difficult for children to open, but it is still not enough to prevent accidents from happening.
If you feel it is necessary to use pods instead of more traditional detergents, make sure they are kept in a high place out of reach of small hands, ideally in a locked container.
Remember these are not just household items, they are also dangerous chemicals which can cause burns, especially if they come into contact with your eyes, and need to be locked away just the same as any other chemicals you keep at home.
What should I do if my child has a laundry pod accident?
If your child is accidentally exposed to the contents of a liquid detergent capsule call 111, or call 999 if you believe that they have swallowed the contents.
Be prepared to tell them details about the product, how much you believe has been swallowed and how long ago.
If the liquid has made contact with your child’s eyes, it is recommended to flush out their eyes with cold, clean water immediately for at least 10 minutes, as this will reduce the likelihood of a serious injury – of course you should also always seek medical advice if your child has been exposed to these chemicals.
By far the safest way to protect little ones from the dangers posed by these pods is to prevent any contact whatsoever, either by using traditional liquid or powder detergents, or by keeping the pods locked away with other highly dangerous chemicals, out of your child’s reach.
Further information
Written by Melanie Pilcher, Quality and Improvement Manager at the Early Years Alliance.
