The CDC and the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) worked together to develop a new poison control code for laundry detergent single-load pods to better track the poisonings within the National Poison Data System. With this new unique code for laundry detergent pods, poison control staff members were able to identify and track laundry detergent pod-related calls better into the National Poison Data System.
They began tracking and characterizing reported exposures to laundry detergent from pods on May 17, 2012. Between May 17 and June 17, 2012, poison centers reported 1,008 laundry detergent exposures to the National Poison Data System (NPDS). Of those exposures, 485 (48%) involved laundry detergent pods. Each age was recorded for 481 exposures and of which 454 (94%) of those involved children 5 years and younger. Among those children aged under 5 years old exposed to laundry detergent from pods had gastrointestinal and respiratory adverse health effects and mental status changes compared with those with non-pod laundry detergent exposures.
