Exposure to detergent pods sent over a dozen kids to Montreal ERs in 2023

Tide pod detergent are seen in this image taken from video.

Every year, a considerable number of young children in Quebec continue to require treatment after coming into contact with the contents of laundry detergent pods, according to recent data.

In 2023, the Quebec Poison Control received 137 requests concerning children aged five and under exposed to a pod's contents. This compares with 141 in 2022, 114 in 2021 and 131 in 2020.

The situation is stable for 6 to 12-year-olds. Fewer than five calls were received in 2023, compared with a peak of 13 in 2021.

Montreal's two largest pediatric hospitals, the CHU Sainte-Justine and the Montreal Children's Hospital, together received some 15 young patients in the emergency department for this reason over the past year.

"You have to think that these are chemicals that happen to be camouflaged under a beautiful design in a little capsule," said Marie-Gabrielle Delisle, assistant head nurse in trauma and burns at CHU Sainte-Justine. "But it's still the famous chemical that's just as dangerous as the one in the more classic bottle that you recognize and then see."

A similar trend can be observed in the U.S. A survey recently published in the journal Clinical Toxicology by researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ohio, reports a 6.8 per cent decline between 2020 and 2022 in children aged six and under, based on data provided by U.S. poison control centers.

The study authors note that about 6 per cent of exposures to a single substance resulted in serious medical consequences.

"Despite declines in the number, rate, and severity of liquid laundry detergent packet exposures among children less than 6 years old, the exposure burden remains high," the researchers write.

Especially since liquid detergent pods are more toxic than traditional liquid and powder detergents, a statement issued by Nationwide also points out.

"The reasons for this increased toxicity are not completely understood, and further research is needed to determine how to make packet contents less toxic. Such reformulation would reduce the severity of exposures to liquid laundry detergent packets.

Contact with sachet contents can cause injuries to the face, eyes and fingers, said Delisle. If ingested, children may experience nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain. They may also experience diarrhea and breathing difficulties or even respiratory tract inflammation, which may require hospitalization.

"Prevention is therefore of the utmost importance," said Delisle, all the more so as cleaning products available in sachet form are multiplying on the market. Making sure these products are out of children's reach and locking cupboards are just two measures you can take.

"It's also important to do a bit of teaching for children, to have discussions with them, to explain that although it looks like candy, it's chemicals, it's dangerous, and they shouldn't touch it," she said.

In the event of exposure, she advises following the product manufacturer's instructions and contacting poison control.  

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 27, 2024.