Tide Pods

As if there weren’t enough dangers to worry about in your teen’s life, ingesting laundry detergent seems to be among the new concerns. Although not actually a drug in the traditional sense, this new trend on social media began with people posting pictures online and joking about how the detergent pods— particularly Tide pods—look “colorful and squishy,” similar to fruit.  

Teens across America began doing the Tide Pod Challenge, a viral trend in which they film themselves intentionally biting into a detergent pod. But whether they realize the consequences or not, one bite can lead to hospitalization with near fatal repercussions. 

Since detergent pods are extremely concentrated, ingesting them can lead to serious side effects such as seizures, respiratory arrest, coma or death. A few years back, detergent manufacturers thickened the plastic coatings and added a bitter flavor to deter young children from biting into them. Unbelievably, this wasn’t enough to stop teens from doing it, however. 

In January of this year alone, poison control centers have received over 130 reports of intentional consumption in contrast to the 53 cases reported in all of 2017. These numbers are shocking, so please talk to your teen about the potentially fatal dangers of consuming any form of detergent.  

If someone you know has consumed a laundry detergent pod, call the Poison Help Hotline at 1-800-222-1222 as soon as possible.