A team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University have found between 2012 and 2015, the number of chemical burns to the eye associated with laundry detergent pods increased more than 30-fold among preschool-aged children in the U.S.
For their research, investigators examined the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) — run by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission -- for the period 2010-2015 for eye injuries resulting in chemical burn or conjunctivitis among preschool-aged children, ages 3 to 4 years. They reportedly found 1,201 laundry detergent pod-related ocular burns happened in children of that age range, with the proportion of all chemical ocular injuries associated with these devices increasing from 0.8 percent of burns in 2012 to 26 percent in 2015.
According to researchers, the injuries most often occurred when children were handling the pods and the contents squirted into one or both of their eyes, or when the pod contents leaked onto their hands and a burn resulted from subsequent hand-eye contact.
Investigators believe their findings suggest proper storage is required for laundry detergent pods, as well as prevention strategies such as a package redesign and improved durability.
The study was recently published online by JAMA Ophthalmology.
Click here to read the full press release.
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