This Tide Pod Thing Is Going Too Far

No kid you know would purposely eat laundry detergent… would they? ZOOM+Care’s Lead Pediatrician Dr. Mark Banks prepares you for the worst-case scenario.

Maybe you’ve seen posts comparing travel-sized Tide packages to juice boxes, tips on making Tide Pod pizza, or a snapshot of the ravioli-like detergent packets garnished with herbs. It would be funny if kids all over the country — including Portland and Seattle — weren’t ending up hospitalized (or dead) after consuming detergent.What started as a stupid internet joke is now serious enough to prompt the American Association of Poison Control Centers to issue an official High Alert for intentional exposures to detergent packets among 13 to 19 year olds. And YouTube is scrambling to delete any videos related to the Tide Pod Challenge.The worst part is that if teens are messing with them, Tide Pods are more likely to end up in toddler’s hands. Last year, there were 10,570 reports of kids under the age of 5 coming in contact with the packets. Risks of ingestion include seizure, pulmonary edema, respiratory arrest, coma, and death. “Substances in laundry detergent can cause excruciating burns that penetrate and perforate the tissue of the throat and esophagus,” says Dr. Mark Banks, Lead Pediatrician at ZOOM+Care. “These pods have caused fatalities in small children, so it’s a big deal.”WHAT TO DO NOW:

• Keep detergents on a high shelf in their original packaging. If you live with kids, pets, or a cognitively-impaired adult, store them in a locked cabinet.
• Warn your eye-rolling teenager. “Ask your kids what they think of these memes,” says Dr. Banks. “If they don’t acknowledge the danger themselves, be clear — it has killed people.”
• Talk to other parents. It takes a village to keep kids from doing moronic things. Ask fellow parents what steps they take to keep children from jumping onto dangerous bandwagons.

WORST-CASE SCENARIO:

• Call 911 immediately if… you know or suspect that someone has ingested laundry detergent and can see that they’re in distress. They may be holding their throat, choking, bleeding from the mouth, drooling, and/or having trouble breathing.

WHEN YOU’RE WORRIED:

• Schedule a pediatric or emergency visit at ZOOM+Care if… you think a child may have consumed detergent but don’t see any signs of distress. Your doctor can determine if there’s any danger and advise you on the next best steps.

WHERE TO GO:Save these locations as favorites on google maps

• ZOOM+Care Super  607 NE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97232
• Your ZOOM+Care Pediatrician 4427 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97202
• OHSU Emergency Room

------ZOOM+Care For all your care.Same-day. No-wait Visits for Pediatrics, Primary Care, Urgent Care, and Specialty Care.Schedule now[caption id="attachment_872" align="alignnone" width="372"]

Lead Pediatrician, Mark Banks, MD[/caption]