Detergent pod packaging changes to keep kids safe

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) –  Detergent pods are colorful and attractive to children, and now manufacturers are working to change the packaging.

The manufacturers are trying to make the packaging less appealing for children so they won’t try to taste what’s inside.

Over the last three years, more than 32,000 children ingested detergent pods and all of them were under 5 years old.

Manufacturers are changing the product’s packaging, making containers so kids can’t see the pods inside. They’re also adding symbols so children understand they shouldn’t eat the pods.

One doctor said that something more important still needs to change, more important than the packaging itself or where people decide to hide these pods around your home.

“They’re talking about trying to put symbols on it to make it look less attractive to children,” says Ira Helfand, a physician at the Family Care Medical Center in Springfield, “but really, they should change the way the pods look so they don’t look like candy.”

Proctor & Gamble teamed up with Safe Kids Worldwide and the American Cleaning Institute to teach parents how to properly store detergent pods.

They suggested the following safety measures:

• Lock up liquid pods, away from children
• Keep laundry pods in original containers
• Buy traditional liquid detergent instead, if children under 5-years-old are present in the house
• If a child obtains of a pod, wash the child’s face, hands and mouth immediately, regardless if the pod is open or still sealed

Officials encourage parents that suspect their child has eaten a detergent pod to call the Poison Control Hotline at 1-800-222-1222.