Unit Dose Accidents Highlighted in Pediatrics Report

One of the shining star innovations of the laundry care industry is the focus of a new study by Pediatrics. The journal revealed that that 17,230 children under the age of six were exposed to laundry detergent capsules in 2012-2013, and most ingested a portion of the highly concentrated detergent inside the packets. The study also revealed that 4.4% of those children were hospitalized, and one death has been linked to the product.
 
Leaders in this segment include P&G, Henkel and Sun Products Corporation. Industry association American Cleaning Institute, who represents these brands and other members of the household cleaning sector, noted that manufacturers of liquid laundry detergent packets are very committed to reducing the number of children involved in accidents with these products, which are used safely by millions of consumers. The companies also have been engaged with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to coordinate actions promoting reduced accidents since 2012.
 
ACI noted that in addition, manufacturers have made “major changes” to their packaging including the addition of easy-to-understand safety icons, improving warning labels to advise proper use and storage instructions, and changing to opaque packaging so the single dose packets are not visible from the outside.