NY Lawmakers: Mandate New Packaging for Toxic Laundry Pods

Legislation introduced in New York state would mandate child-resistant packaging, warning labels and uniform colors for laundry detergent pods, following the dangerous trend of people eating the toxic items.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas announced their proposal Tuesday. Both are New York City Democrats.

The lawmakers say the pods’ bright colors, squishy texture and appealing smell can make them irresistible to young children or adults with dementia.

The “Tide Pods challenge” is an internet trend involving videos of people putting the pods in their mouth. The American Association of Poison Control Centers reports 154 calls to poison control centers so far this year relating to teenagers ingesting the items.

Proctor and Gamble, which owns Tide, recently launched a campaign to warn people away from eating the pods.