Laundry pod recall issued due to safety concerns for kids

Detroit – Procter & Gamble has issued a recall for 8.2 million bags of laundry detergent pods due to a potential safety hazard. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported that bags of Procter & Gamble laundry detergent pods made between September 2023 and February 2024 may have a fault that causes them to split open near the zipper. The affected products include Tide Pods, Gain Flings, Ace Pods, and Ariel Pods.

The concern with the faulty zippers on these detergent bags is that it could make the pods accessible to children or cognitively impaired adults in households where these products are present. The soft, colorful appearance of detergent pods can make them attractive to young children who may mistake them for candy, leading to potentially harmful ingestion.

Oriene Shin, Consumer Reports Policy Counsel, spoke with WDIV about the dangers of detergent pod exposure, stating that every year poison control centers receive thousands of calls related to laundry pod exposure. The Michigan Poison & Drug Information Center at the Wayne State University School of Medicine reported 1,107 cases of exposure to laundry pods with children 10 and younger between 2020 and 2023, including 99 cases with moderate medical outcomes.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled detergent bags are urged to store them out of reach of children and contact Procter & Gamble for a full refund and replacement child-resistant bag for the pods. Shin emphasized the importance of manufacturers using appropriate packaging to keep kids safe and ensuring that packaging is truly child-resistant before reaching consumers.

In light of the recall and concerns surrounding detergent pod bags, Consumer Reports recommends that consumers with young children or cognitively impaired adults in the household switch to liquid or powder detergent instead of pods. This precaution should help prevent accidental ingestion and keep these vulnerable populations safe.

For more information on the recall and how to obtain a replacement bag, consumers can visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission website. Stay informed and stay safe.

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Written by staticwire