Laundry Pods: Dangers to Children
Do you know what a “laundry pod” is? Laundry pods are small plastic-coated devices that contain liquid or powder detergent. There are laws in Florida concerning the labeling and distribution of laundry pods. These regulations are designed to protect children from choking and poisoning injuries or deaths. Manufacturers distribute laundry pods in larger cardboard or plastic containers that are sold in a variety of stores in Florida. Consumers purchase laundry pods because the items are convenient to use, but the items are considered hazardous to children.
1: Laundry Pods Look Similar to Toys or Food
When children see laundry pods on a washing machine or countertop, the items may look like candy or toys. Infants and toddlers put laundry pods into their mouths instinctively because the items smell fragrant and have a bright color.
2: Laundry Pods Cause Suffocation
The slippery plastic laundry pods slide down a child’s airway easily, leading to almost instant suffocation from choking. Removing a laundry pod is difficult because the item wedges in a child’s airway.
3: Laundry Pods Melt Inside the Throat
The plastic material of laundry pods is designed to melt in a washing machine, but it also melts in a child’s throat, causing the detergent to leak into a child’s stomach. The chemicals in the detergent are poisonous, leading to additional health risks.
4: Intense Vomiting from Laundry Pods
After ingesting the detergent accidentally from a laundry pod, a child will begin to cough and vomit, causing more damage to the child’s airway and throat. Some of the damage can include chemical burns.
5: Chemicals Burns, Seizures or Coma
When children swallow or aspirate the detergents or chemicals contained in laundry pods, it can lead to respiratory distress, seizures, or even a coma. Due to a young child’s small body size, it takes merely a small amount of detergent, ingested by a small child, before a laundry pod becomes dangerous.
Seek Legal Assistance Today from Experienced Tampa Personal Injury Attorneys
Have you or a loved one suffered harm from the effects of an ingested laundry pod? At Wagner, McLaughlin & Whittemore in Tampa, Fla., we can help. Contact us today at 813-225-4000 to schedule an appointment with our Tampa personal injury attorneys.
