Posted on 08/16/2013 8:35:33 PM PDT by rickmichaels
A Florida infant has reportedly died after eating a laundry detergent pod — something authorities have been warning about ever since the brightly coloured little packets hit the market.
The boy, identified by local media as Michael Williams, was at a central Florida battered women's shelter with his mother, who reported she'd left the pods, which are given to residents by the shelter, inside a laundry basket on the bed where her son was sleeping.
She stepped away, and when she returned, the baby had eaten one packet and was starting on a second one, police spokeswoman Stacie Miller told the Orlando Sentinel.
The boy was coughing but alert and breathing when paramedics arrived. He was taken to hospital, where his condition worsened and he died.
Health Canada issued a warning last July about the dangers of detergent pods after several reports of children becoming ill from ingesting the candy-like packages.
Ingesting the packs can cause vomiting, a burning sensation in the mouth, difficulty breathing and drowsiness.
This may be the first case in North America of a death linked to the pods.
North America extends much further south. Do a search. Most of Central America will be included in "North America". They include all or almost all of Central America, all the way to the equator.
Geological North America, si. Cultural North America, no.
All someone has to do is come up with a water soluble and non-staining image of Mr Yuk and put it on the pods. It would flange right up with other poisoning interdiction campaigns and it would be easier to teach the kids to leave it alone.
Failing that, make the outer surface taste undeniably bad.
Or both.
That's a great idea.
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