Laundry Pod Poisoning Lawyers Help Families Injured by Household Item
The number of children injured by laundry pods has grown significantly in recent years. If you or your child have been a victim of these household items, a laundry pod poisoning lawyer at Ellis Law can help you understand your legal rights and provide a free review of your case.
A recent study has once again raised concerns about the dangers of laundry detergent pods. These single packets have become very popular with busy parents looking for a faster, more convenient way to get weekly chores like laundry accomplished. However, the appearance and formulation of the pods has proven to be a potentially deadly temptation for some children.
Study finds hundreds of children sent to hospital
The new study, which was published in the November 10 online edition of the journal Pediatrics, found that detergent pods sent more than 700 children to the hospital in a one-year period between 2012 and 2013. Many of those children needed intensive care for their injuries. Thirty children went into comas, 12 suffered seizures and one child died, according to a report at CBS News.
Authors of this study used data from U.S. Poison Control Centers, which received more than 17,000 reports of injuries in children under the age of six due to laundry detergent pods. Nearly 80 percent of those calls involved accidental ingestion of the contents inside the pods, which consists of highly concentrated laundry detergent. Other injuries included inhalation, skin injuries or harm to the eyes.
“We have never seen anything like this with laundry detergent of the past,” Dr. Gary Smith, director for the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and lead author of the study, told CBS News. “This is why we need to get the word out to parents if they decide to use this product among young children.”
Dangers linked to product packaging
These findings come at a time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a general decrease in accidental poisoning of children from household items. While other poisonings are on the decline, poisonings from laundry detergent pods have increased significantly in the past three years. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), there were more than 6,000 reports of laundry pod exposures in 2012. By 2014, that number had increased to nearly 10,000.
Dr. Smith also told CBS News that he did not believe manufacturers were making a sufficient effort to child-proof the product, considering the brightly-colored pods are a serious temptation for young children. In 2012, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer urged the Consumer Product Safety Commission to require more child-proof packaging and warning labels on laundry pod products. While changes have been made by some manufacturers, many do not believe companies have gone far enough to keep children safe.
Filing a laundry detergent pod lawsuit
If your child accidentally ate one of these products, the injuries can be severe. Medical bills may add up and you may experience a decrease in income as you take off work to care for your injured child. A laundry pod poisoning lawyer at the Ellis Injury Law firm can provide you with skilled advice and help you pursue compensation for your child’s injuries and your financial losses.
Call us today at 310-641-3335 for a free case review with one of our Los Angeles product liability lawyers.