AAPCC: Laundry Pod Ingestion Is Increasingly Common, Despite Warnings

Despite warnings from the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), the number of cases of intentional exposure to single-load laundry detergent packets has continued to rise among adolescents aged 13 to 19 years.

The sharp increase in intentional exposures is likely a direct result of the so-called “Tide Pod Challenge,” an increasingly popular social media phenomenon in which participants record themselves attempting to consume the detergent packets and post the recordings online.
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According to a report from the AAPCC, American poison control centers have now handled 86 cases of intentional exposures during the first 3 weeks of 2018 alone, rising sharply from 39 cases during the first 2 weeks of the new year.

“Since our first alert to this life-threatening activity, the trend of intentionally ingesting single-load laundry packets has increased in its popularity despite repeated warnings,” said Stephen Kaminski, JD, CEO and executive director of the AAPCC, in a press release.

“We cannot stress enough how dangerous this is to the health of individuals—it can lead to seizure, pulmonary edema, respiratory arrest, coma, and even death.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

High alert: intentional exposures among teens to single-load laundry packets continue to rise [press release]. Alexandria, VA. American Association of Poison Control Centers. January 22, 2018. http://www.aapcc.org/press/84/. Accessed on January 29, 2018.