We have all heard the warnings that these brightly coloured laundry pods can be mistaken for sweet treats by our little ones.
But now experts say that poisoning isn’t the only issue when it comes to these shiny capsules.
Last year, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, warned that these packs are an “emerging public health hazard” for children aged five and under.
However, now a new study, published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology has warned that there has been a dramatic increase in eye injuries from these pods.
Eye injuries, specifically, chemical burns can happen when a child is playing with such a capsule and the contents squirt into one or both eyes or can spread to the eye if a child gets the liquid onto their hands.
The US study examined data from 2010 to 2015 taken from a database that tracks visits to the A and E for injuries caused by such consumer products. They found that more than 1,200 three and four-year-olds had to be rushed to the hospital for eye injuries.
In 2012, laundry-pod eye injuries made up less than 1 percent of all chemical eye burns for this age group, but by 2015, they accounted for 26 percent of such eye burns.
The information didn’t take into account visits to the GP or private eye clinics for the same injuries.
There are now safety catches on many of the storage containers for these pods but we should make sure to store them out of a child’s reach.
If you think your child has been poisoned call 01 8092166 or check out some more information here on prevention or here about capsules in general.
