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This household product put over 62,000 kids in danger – Metro US

This household product put over 62,000 kids in danger

Child cleaning products
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A common household staple is putting young children in danger every day — and it isn’t a cleaning chemical you might think of, like bleach. A new study published today in the Pediatrics journal says roughly 20 percent of children ingest laundry or washing machine detergent pods.

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The researchers studied data from 2013 and 2014 and found that there were over 62,000 calls made to the Poison Control Center for this reason — about one call every 45 minutes. Most of the children were under three years old, and almost all were under six years old.

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The pods are brightly colored, making them attractive to young kids, and the results of digesting them can be heartbreaking. Seventeen children were put into a comatose state because of digesting detergent pods. Two young children died as a result.

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Parents are advised to keep the pods up high so children cannot reach them. Many parents store dishwashing detergent pods under the kitchen sink; an easy place for kids to find them.

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