In 2017, US poison control centers received reports of nearly 220 teens exposed to laundry detergent capsules. The “Tide pod challenge“ is a dangerous game played by kids on social media. Posted videos show kids chewing liquid laundry detergent packets. This causes soap to spew from their mouths. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission warned the packets contain “highly concentrated, toxic detergent.“
Of the 220 teens exposed to the detergent, about 25% of those cases were intentional, according to the data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers. According to the data, there were over 37 reported cases among teens in 2018 by mid-January.
If a child bites into a detergent pod, wash the child’s mouth, face and hands and call Poison Control: 1– 800–222–1222.
