For those who are not familiar with the laundry pod challenge, I am going to break it down for you. People (especially kids) are recording themselves breaking/eating laundry pod in there mouth as a video challenge. This has raised concern for many people. When I found out about this, my reactions were a little something like this...
My questions for these people/kids are: who came up with this ridiculous challenge? What was their mind-process in taking the initiative to do such a thing? Where are your parents when you are doing this? Did you know you can put yourself in great harm by ingesting the chemicals in laundry pods?
People should not eat or consume laundry detergent pods because it is very dangerous. According to experts, these pods can cause unbearable symptoms or even death. CBS News states, "The pods are bright and colorful and to children, they can look like candy. At least 10 deaths have been linked to ingesting these pods. Two were toddlers, eight were seniors with dementia". Parents need to acknowledge the severity of this problem and stay aware of what their children are doing.
If you look at the numbers for the number of cases that were filed in 2017 to the American Association of Poison Control Center(AAPCC), 10,570 cases were filed due to the consumption of laundry pods. This is not a pretty number. To dig a bit deeper, the cases that are not reported to AAPCC would drive the reported number up drastically. I am not sure the exact amount, but people do not always report these cases to avoid trouble.
If you are someone or knows someone who comes into consumes laundry pods, call emergency hotline at 1-800-222-1222. The emergency hotline is available 24/7, so they will always have someone on call to help you. Calling AAPCC does not cost anything, it is free of charge. So, do not hesitate to call when needed.
Now that you are aware of this problem, if you see this happening, confront the person and prevent it from happening. Parents, please watch over your kids, and kids...be smart and stop following these trends of video challenges. They can be very risky, and you will put yourself in a position that you do not want to be in.
