You know, I am actually not surprised that the need to explain to college students the importance of abstaining from eating Tide laundry detergent pods has arisen. I guess some people think it is funny to eat Tide Pods. The recent spike in cases reported by the American Association of Poison Control Center certainly suggests as much.
In the past, children were at risk of eating the pods because they could be mistaken for candy, and most cases of poisoning were from children five and under. This year is different. In 2018 alone, 37 cases of teenagers needing the help of poison control after consuming Tide Pods have already been reported. Last year, the Tide Pod contamination among teenagers was reported to be 53 cases for the whole year. The reason for this skyrocket is all because of a dare, or “challenge,” of course. People document eating the pods on YouTube or simply do it for a Snapchat video.
Recently, a commercial was released from P&G, the owners of Tide, showcasing NFL player Rob Gronkowski telling people not to eat Tide Pods. The companies is taking these precautions because repercussions of eating the seemingly innocent looking detergent pods can be fatal. Eating the pods can immediately cause coughing and mouth irritation. After that, the more dangerous effects are gastrointestinal distress and burns to the esophagus and stomach, according to Jana L. Anderson of the Mayo Clinic. There have been several deaths due to poisoning from the pods as well, mostly adults with dementia and children. I don’t know a better reason rethink eating Tide Pods if not for the fear of a painful death.
Aside from all of this, I encourage you to take a moment and think about how this trend could change the way we’ve all gotten used to doing laundry. If Tide has to take away the super convenient pod design because of a rise in poisonings, we would all be affected. Most college students I know exclusively use Tide Pods for doing laundry. College kids are lazy and admittedly have little experience or knowledge of how to measure out liquid detergent. I understand the physical danger and importance of not eating the pods, as I’m sure everyone over the age of five does, so the annoying part about this trend is that it could ruin a good thing for everybody.
Let us save one of the most innovative inventions in household care for the greater good. Truly, I do understand how appealing a nice, juicy Tide Pod looks, but it should not have to take a huge amount of self-discipline to restrain yourself from ingesting it. I would instead recommend a nice pack of Gushers.