There were 17 children lost to these pods through ingestion causing coma and suffocation.
Senator Nelson states there are changes that can be made to the plastic container that holds the PODS which makes is far more difficult to open.
An additional method of protection is to change the colors of the ingredients in the POD to make it less attractive to children.
It makes sense Senator Nelson would bring this forward to the Senate Floor because he represents Florida. Everyone knows Florida has many older Americans living there. These Americans have grandchildren that come to visit. How would any grandparent feel if by chance their grandchild became sick from laundry detergent under the kitchen sink? Worse than sick, what would that family feel if the child died? Senator Nelson has brought an important issue to the Senate and the companies using this method of delivery detergent as a viable marketing venture needs to prove the container and the pod color is all created to inhibit rather than facilitate the poisoning of a child.
I cannot believe this is even an issue, but, in the USA in the year 2016 anarchy and cost cutting is permitted. In the day where I would expect such a product to be approved by the FDA BEFORE it was marketed is in the past. I wonder if the parents that have lost children would have appreciated prevention over profits?
February 13, 2015
...Safety experts (click here) have expressed concerns because the colorful plastic capsules look like candy or juice to toddlers.
Consumer groups have been pushing for rules to strengthen consumer protections as the demand for the product has continued to increase dramatically in just the last few years.
Last year alone, according to the American Association for Poison Control Centers, there were nearly 12,000 calls to poison-control centers for children aged five and younger who had been exposed to this highly-concentrated detergent - almost double the number of calls just two years prior.
In 2013, the first known fatality was reported in Florida – a seven-month-old boy from Kissimmee.
The industry is signaling its willingness to repackage the capsules in opaque and child-proof containers. Just Thursday, an industry association met in Washington, D.C. to look at several possible proposals.
Meantime, one of the most outspoken advocates for kids has been the head of the Tampa branch of the Florida Poison Information Center, Dr. Alfred Aleguas....
