Kansas City,
27
April
2016
|
10:03 AM
America/Chicago

New study shows increase in kids getting sick from detergent pods

A new study shows a rise in the number of children getting hurt after biting into colorful detergent pods.

To an adult, these detergent packets can be a great time saver, but to a toddler, they are appealing for a very different reason. Two years ago Angela Avent's daughter, Raniyah, had to go on life support when she ate a packet. 

"She was foaming at the mouth, couldn't breathe, couldn't move, she was just lying there," said Avent. 

A new study in the American Academy Journal Pediatrics said there was a 17% increase in calls to poison control specifically about laundry packets in 2013 - 2014.

"Clearly, laundry pods are a problem," said Dr. Jennifer Lowry, Chief of Toxicology at Children's Mercy. She makes it very clear, instead of telling parents to just lock these pods up, or put them on a high shelf, her advce is much more definitive.

"If you have young children in the home, you should not have laundry pods in the home," said Dr. Lowry. 

Read the full story via KCTV5.

Learn more about Children's Mercy's Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Innovation.