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Last updated on Tuesday, January 30, 2018
(INDIANAPOLIS) - After dozens of warnings from health officials about the dangers of ingesting liquid laundry detergent packets, the viral trend has spiked again.
The Indiana Poison Center says dozens have called the center seeking help after someone had ingested single-load laundry packets. Many are ingesting the chemical as part of a viral social trend called the "Tide Pod Challenge."
According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, there have been 131 cases of intentional exposure since the beginning of 2018. That is more than all of the cases in the last two years combined.
"You can get a whole load of laundry done in a teeny cube. That is because the detergents are extremely concentrated," said Daniel Rusyniak, the medical director of the Indiana Poison Center.
Ingesting the pods can cause burning and irritation along with seizures, coma, pneumonia, and can make breathing dangerously slow.
"Some of the contents inside of those packets can cause CNS depression. They can make you sleepy. Sleepy to the point that little kids have had to put on ventilators because they were comatose and unable to breathe on their own," said Rusyniak.
You can contact the Indiana Poison Center at (800)-222-1222.
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