Liquid laundry and dishwasher detergent pods are an emerging source of chemical exposure in children. When squeezed or bitten into, these pods can burst and send detergent into the mouth, nose, and eyes. A new report published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) cautions that these products should be kept away from children because the bursting detergent pods can cause significant corneal injury. Detergent pods may offer a simpler way to do laundry, but they represent a source of potential danger when in the hands of a young child. Available in the European market for over a decade and first introduced to the American market in 2010, liquid detergent pods are brightly colored, which makes them attractive to young children who mistake them for toys.
Liquid laundry and dishwasher detergent pods are an emerging source of chemical exposure in children. When squeezed or bitten into, these pods can burst and send detergent into the mouth, nose, and eyes. A new report published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) cautions that these products should be kept away from children because the bursting detergent pods can cause significant corneal injury.
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Detergent pods may offer a simpler way to do laundry, but they represent a source of potential danger when in the hands of a young child. Available in the European market for over a decade and first introduced to the American market in 2010, liquid detergent pods are brightly colored, which makes them attractive to young children who mistake them for toys.
Michael E. Gray, MD, and Constance E. West, MD, from the Abrahamson Pediatric Eye Institute at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, began tracking ocular injuries from detergent pods after noticing an increase in patients over the course of several months beginning in 2012. Ten children, all under 4 years of age, were treated for eye injuries stemming from burst detergent pods. Over the same time frame, 21 other children were seen in the emergency room for injuries caused by ingestion of the detergent contained in the pods.
For the children with eye injuries, two cases involved the child biting down on the pod, seven cases resulted from children squeezing the pod in their hands, and in the last case, the cause was unknown. All ten children with eye injuries presented with significantly bloodshot eyes, although no limbal ischemia or clinically significant conjunctival chemosis was found. Corneal abrasions were found in all of the cases, with defect sizes ranging from 3 mm in diameter to a nearly complete corneal epithelial defect. In addition, three children also had mild periorbital edema or erythema ipsilateral to the corneal abrasion.
Photos show an external image of child showing periorbital edema and erythema. Blue image is an external photograph illuminated using the blue cobalt filter of an indirect ophthalmoscope showing a large corneal epithelial defect. Credit: Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
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