P&G's Tide Pods poisoning children

CINCINNATI - Another PR headache for Cincinnati's Procter and Gamble: the new Tide Pod detergent is poisoning children, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

Poison control officials across the country report more than 180 cases of young children eating the brightly colored detergent balls and becoming sick since their introduction earlier this year.

Look Just Like Candy

The colored balls look too much like candy, parents say. I n a Wednesday night report by our partners at ABC News, the same thing that makes the little pods appealing to shoppers also make them more appealing to toddlers and young children.  In addition, the plastic jars look like candy or cookie jars, so children may think something "yummy" is inside.

ABC reports some children start vomiting, wheezing and gasping for air within minutes of biting into one of the packets. Some had to be put on ventilators at the hospital.

What Parents Should Do

P&G has released a statement saying it plans to switch to  new childproof containers this summer. The current containers are not childproof.

Until then, poison control centers are urging parents to put the Pods on a very high shelf, or better yet, locked up.

Meantime, if you are wondering about the effectiveness of these new detergent pods ,read about our test of some of them.

As always, don't waste your money.

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