Study warns of “high rate” of ingestion of detergent capsules by children in the U.S.: “They are like candy”.
A study by West Virginia University (United States) has warned that between 2016 and 2020, there were in the U.S. more than 20,000 injuries related to the detergent capsule ingestion. in children under 18 years of age.
Concentrated liquid detergent capsules. can look like candy to children, but ingesting them can lead to serious health problems, as these researchers warn in their research, published in the scientific journal The Journal of Dental Hygiene.
“By design, the water-soluble membranes of the capsules dissolve easily and, if a child puts it in his or her mouth, the highly alkaline inner contents may cause intoxicationin addition to chemical burns and rapid swelling that may cause upper airway obstruction, lung damage and esophageal perforation, as well as destruction and swelling of other tissues, all of which are considered oral-air-digestive/ingestion poisoning injuries. Even if not ingested, the pods can burst and cause eye injury,” the scientists detail.
R. Constance Wiener, one of those responsible for the research, recalls that accidents due to the ingestion of items such as detergent pods, button batteries or chewing electrical wires, for example, “are not taken into account until it is too late”.
Wrapper accidents
Specifically, the team analyzed data recorded after 2015, the year the United States recommended safety standards to lower the risk of accidents associated with pods.. Several manufacturers complied with measures that included adding an unpleasant odor to the outer membrane and make the container packaging opaque and childproof.
“We were interested in whether detergent pod-related injuries in children. had changed after the five years since the implementation of these rules and statutes,” said Christopher Waters, another of those responsible for the study.
According to the data, it is estimated that there were. 13,176 oral-aerodigestive lesions. related to detergent pods/intoxications from ingestion and 8,654 eye injuries related to detergent pods in children under 18 years of age that required emergency department visits between 2016 and 2020.
These results show that, during the five-year study period, there was no change in the rate of pod-related oral-aerodigestive lesions/ingestion poisonings, while there was a slight decrease in detergent pod-related eye lesions.
More frequent in children aged 3 to 5 years.
However, the age of the study participants influences the results, which show that all types of detergent capsule-related injuries are more frequent among children aged 3 to 5 years.
“This age group is curious and more likely to regard pods as candy than older children. They are also likely to have greater access to pods than infants and toddlers. younger children“, Wiener noted.
Because dentists routinely offer health and safety advice to children and their parents, Wiener has called for include precautions on detergent capsules. “We hope to raise awareness about the accessibility of a common household item and encourage prevention,” the researcher remarked.
