Girl's eyes severely burned after popping liquid detergent pack
NEWBERG, Ore. – Four-year-old Roxy Wiltshire, like many children, is curious.
On Thursday her curiosity led her into her parents' laundry room. She climbed on top of the toilet and opened a bag of laundry packs. She squeezed one. It popped and liquid detergent squirted all over her face and into her eyes.
She screamed, and her parents took her to the hospital, but the pain didn't go away for days.
It's the second recent local incident involving children who have accidentally gotten into these types of small packets of detergent thinking they are toys or candy reported on KATU News.
On Sunday, Julia Low's one-and-a-half-year-old son, Kai, became violently ill after he bit into a small laundry detergent pod by accident.
Roxy Wiltshire thought the laundry pack was a toy balloon.
"She didn't open her eyes for four days. We didn't know what the damage was," Roxy's mother, Jessica, said. "So for four days her dad and I had to take care of (her) and basically were devastated, sick, worried. We didn't know if our daughter could see again."
Roxy said when the detergent got into her eyes, "it felt like fire."
Her parents worried she’d go blind and doctors didn't know at first if that would happen. But on Sunday Roxy opened her eyes again.
Her eyes still have a little bit of redness and she still can’t completely see out of her right eye. Jessica said doctors aren't sure yet whether that's permanent.
Roxy is doing much better. Doctors said she had a chemical burn from the detergent.
Her mom admitted she kept the bag open on the washing machine because she never heard the little packs could be dangerous.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, it is in the middle of investigating all kinds of the small laundry packs. It started the investigation because children had been eating them, not popping them.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released some poisoning statistics.
For a one-month period in May and June of this year, more than 1,000 cases of laundry detergent exposure were reported to poison centers across the country. Of those, almost half were exposures to laundry detergent contained in pods. Most of the cases involved children who were two and three years old.
We first heard about this latest case of pod poisoning through a news tip. If there’s news in your neighborhood, email us at newstips@katu.com.
I'm a parent of two, but fortunately, I've never had to encounter episodes where "leave it alone" and "don't touch" haven't had to be repeated. Â With that said though, there are children who may have ADHD, autism, etc., who might take such warnings as a challenge, and therefore proceed to get into such things anyways. Â Perhaps the manufacturers should take that into consideration, and start placing these products into containers with safety lids that kids can't get into. Â
I, like you, am a parent of two and a grandfather of three. One of my grandkids is a 13 year old with autism. All 5 of them DID take it as a challenge; thats part of being a kid. Parents do need to pay attention, keep things out of reach and/or locked up, but you're right, manufacturers COULD do their part, but I think educating the users of the products would be more affective because if a kid really wants to get into something, they will. Parents need to do two things: educate themselves, remember when they were kids. Luckily, I still remember the little sh-it I was. Tell me it was wrong I would figure out a way it was right. Tell me it could not be done, I would figure out a way. My mom said I was the only kid in the world that could break a ball-bearing just by holding it in my hand. I believe if more parents remembered being a kid, the kids would be safer. Also would have more patience with their kids because we all acted like little sh-its at one time or another!
I'm no parent, but I've hard my fair share of watching nieces/nephews growing up. I can't imagine why someone would leave such an item out where children could reach them, along with not telling a child that they shouldn't play with the items in that area. I think the only thing I got into at that age was convincing another small kid to open a gallon jug of water and pour it on his brother so he wouldn't be bugging us while we played "bigger kid" games.
Err. I keep every single one of my chemical cleaners either on a high shelf (above MY head) OR in a magnet locked cabinet and the magnet key is put in an un-reachable place. PERIOD. Is it worth your child being burned or dying for your convenience on product location? Hardly.
Â
Quit being lazy parents. Everyone with kids or who have kids visit should regularly look around at how things are set up. GET ON THE FLOOR, see the world from the childs perspective and fix the problems FFS.Â
Â
Stupid lazy parents who blame the product instead of themselves. Lame.
Another Case! what in hell is going on with Parents? Don't People have any brains any more? these Packs have been around for years and now there are cases popping up? Sure in Heck isn't the companies fault, Damn, are people getting Dumber?
 @lee986321 If I remember correctly, the dishwasher ones have been around about 2 or so years and the ones for your washing machine are much newer than that. I've only seen them in the stores maybe the last 6 months or so.
 @Jenni S.  @lee986321 Uhhh MUCH MUCH longer than that.  I remember them as far back as the mid 70's!
I think adults are getting dumber. It isn't rocket science that chemicals are poison, or that kids are..., well, kids!
@Username @Jenni S. @lee986321 And I remember using the shiny dishwasher packs in college during 2001-2002. I don't know if the parents are getting dumber, or the offspring, my guess is it's the parents. I still just get the regular detergent, it seems to cost a lot less than the "pods"
This story boils down to parental ignorance or neglect more than anything else. You don't let kids play with dangerous things if you care about them. You watch after you kids if you do care.
I smell legal lottery
Watch your kid you m-o-r-o-n! We keep that stuff in high cabinets. We never left bleach or any detergents in reach of the child...climber or not....they needed to be 5-6ft tall to reach to open cabinet Our child never once had an accident in his younger years, and our house was not overly baby proofed... I had no socket covers. We had no locks on lower cabinets, but we only left pots and pans, and plastic bowls in them He coudln't open the dishwasher anyways. Kept items away from edges so he couldn't pull them off and onto him. Never had to lock doors..Never had soft corners placed on edge of tables. I think we had a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs and that was about it...and we were smart to keep his bed away from the window. If you cannot watch the kid then dont have babies...
Wow an ews story trying to blame a manufacturer for the stupidity of a parent . But then again this is the great state of Portland where it is always someone elses fault not the ijut parent that did not secure a potential poison.
@Civ Portland is a city, not a state, you're an idiot.
 @pdxd  @Civ And you're not all that bright yourself; I'd imagine it's in the same sense that I've heard "the great state of Orange County" because of the difference between them and the rest of CA.  It's a reference to being different from the rest of the state; Portland surely qualifies for that.
LMAO! That boy ain't right! Nope, he ain't right at all!
I think of this the same as the kids falling out a window: the first few times it is not stupidity, it is ignorance. It becomes stupid when it hits the national news, we are warned a hundred times, and people STILL let it happen. You just watch, it will be just like the window thing. I can't believe how many people had their head in the sand all summer and let their little ones get hurt and killed. How many have to die before people don't leave the kids unatended with windows wide open? How many kids will have to suffer before mom AND dad start locking up the chemicals? When it goes from ignorance to stupid, it turns into a crime.
And children can drown if they are left unattended in a swimming pool!
So true. I guess the lesson: wake up people, put down the game controler,joint,beer or take your eyes off the soap opera and pay attention to the kids. Remember the days people paid attention to the kids?
@iamtroglodite I dont remember any of the local kids dieing as a result of a fall out of the window... I am pretty sure about this because when it does result in a death I want to see if they charge the parent on watch with manslaughter, because in almost all cases it was parent not surprising a child, or having placed the beds up against the windows... STupid parents need to be held responsible....
Duvie23: You missed my point; this is 2012, the NATIONAL news HAS had reports of kids dying several times over the years, and yes the local stations did take the opportunity to warn the locals. Remember Eric Clapton's son in Mar 21, 1991? That alone should have made peopleâs eyes open up! There have been many more in regular homes over the years. And, just out of curiosity, what does surprising a child have to do with accidently falling out a window or burning your eyes with chemicals? Point is, we can learn from others mistakes even if it hits the national news. (see original post)
@portlandborn83 Yes but none of them died...I was refuting iamtroglodite's comment "how many have to die before people dont leave kids unattended with windows wide open...
@Duvie23 It happened like 5 times this summer and 5 times last summer in this state alone mane!
When are these children going to start taking responsibility for their own actions instead of always relying on others?
"She never heard the little packs could be dangerous" Somebody tie her tubes. Her children will forever be in danger because she is a farking idiot.
@Portlander29 Or put a detergent pack up there.
measuring is hard to do. a few kids eyes are worth this painstaking task
This comment has been deleted
I think the idea is NEVER to blame a parent or a child when a manufacturers product has any possible link to an accident. It HAS to be a bad product so that the inevitable lawsuits can start.
Â
The age of personal responsibility has ended in the US. Now its time for the government to not only protect us but support us.Â
Â
The next thing you know, they will require helmets for people walking just in case you fall down.
 @scared_citizen All they need to do is bust out a Mr. Yuk sticker on the package and this should help!
Why do people even buy products like this; isn't it cheaper to just get a bottle of liquid detergent?
@portlandborn83 I for one still measure out the detergent, and typically eye-ball the measurement since for the most part, the cloths aren't stained, but just need a "washing".
We, as a whole, have turned into a lazy species. Just HAVE to have a remote, Just HAVE to use our microwave, Just HAVE to use a scanner and have the register tell us how much change to give back instead of doing the math, Just HAVE to use premeasured soap in our appliances. All that being said, aparently we are also too lazy to open a cupboard door to get the soap out so it sits where our little ones can reach it. I am guilty of the remote and microwave, but I didn't even know these pre-measured soaps even existed. I refuse to waste the money on them. Of course, being the cheap bastard I am I refuse to spend $1,000 on anything that does'nt have wheels and a engine. So I guess I won't be buying a washer that needs that crap.
@iamtroglodite Im with ya on this...usually the convenience products are a bit more money.
@portlandborn83Â Â Â The new High Efficiency appliances use smaller amounts of more concentrated cleaners. These packets are pre-measured and easy to pop in the appliance and more manufacturers are packaging them this way.
bottom line is that it is UP to the parent to make sure that the packs are completely out of the reach of curious young kids......its not the fault of the detergent maker, its the fault of the parent for allowing easy access to them. A kid wants to get to them, they WILL find a way to them. Just like you don't leave a gun out...you put it in a gun safe. Same principle....you put the detergent packs in a cabinet with a child proof lock keeping children away from it
Damn! Give keith a cigar! His whole post is dealing with common sense! Come on, moms and dads listen to this. It could save you some doctor bills, or maybe even a life!
what happened to putting Mr Yuk stickers on poisonous household products??
 @Valkyrie2007 Abby likes getting the stickers at the health and safety fair each year and then helping to see which products they should go onto.
 @Valkyrie2007 The we wouldn't see the candidates names on the ballot...just a bunch of green yukky faces.
This comment has been deleted
"Is this "inattentive parents on the news" week?" No, more like Is this "inattentive parents on the news" YEAR? Man, I wonder how many kids fell out of windows over the summer? Seemed like every day!
Kids will always be kids, but far too many reproducers are not actually parents. Many parents used to "child-proof" their homes by placing potential dangerous items out of reach of children. A four year old is old enough to learn and a good parent will not only keep the dangerous stuff in a safe location but will teach their child(ren) not to play/eat/touch it.
I truly feel sorry for the babies involved in these incidences with the soap packets. However, my grandma used to use pure lye and sheep fat for her laundry. I never got burned by this practice. I worked in precious metals and gemstones and always had acids such as hydrochloric and sulfuric on hand since I worked from home. Not once did my daughter ever come in contact with these! To clean wedding ring sets I used a heated lye solution, all jewelers use similar solutions. She never touched this either. I took the steps nessecary to insure this. it's what a parent is supposed to do. Being a parent is the most demanding and difficult job an adult will ever attempt. Anyone that thinks otherwise should never be a parent! You are teaching a human who is as intellegent as you are if not more so and they are born totally ignorant of the world we are raising them in. We parents MUST, and I cannot stress this strongly enough, take full responsibility for our children to insure they are raised in a nurturing and safe environment. If you see a packet of soap that is only 3 tablespoons at most that is to replace a whole cup of what is considered a powerful soap, think..... Perhaps it is even more dangerous?
 @MickRoh You make an excellent point! I knew there was a reason I couldn't have kids - it's SO much responsibility, especially in our new high-techy ways of doing things. Who knew a pack like that could be so seductive to kids, but of course, it is.Â
I use them, and I LOVE them. First thing I noticed when I bought them was that they looked like candy, first thing I did when I brought them home was put them on the highest shelf in the laundry room. I have common sense and assume that any cleaning product needs to be kept away from my kids, I didn't need a warning label or someone to tell me that they could be dangerous. That being said, I really hope this little girl makes a full recovery.
 @snuggles We get it!  Its great to know you are super smart! ;)
 @snuggles I think that we have two issues here that have come to play: other people's houses (like the little boy the other day) and that people are treating these pods the same way they would their other soaps. We haven't seen the issues with regular detergent (liquid or powder) for our washing machines and dishwashers that we've seen with these little pods. I think people are accustomed to dish soap being under the sink and laundry soap being on top of the dryer. It looks like if you're going to use these pods, you need to treat them the way you would your bleach, drain clog remover, etc. and put them out of kids' reach.
 @Jenni S.  @snuggles "For a one-month period in May and June of this year, more than 1,000 cases of laundry detergent exposure were reported to poison centers across the country. Of those, almost half were exposures to laundry detergent contained in pods."  Sure we have, it's about equal between pod/non-pod (in fact, a little less of the pods).
Â
Now if we only knew what percentage of people used the pods...
 @brendan  @snuggles Exposure, yes, but are they having the same kind of damage to skin, eyes, and stomachs as the pods? I don't see anything in there that says the level of exposure or the affect it had on the person. I have the feeling the affect of the liquid/powder ones is likely less, which is part of the reason why it's not making it on the news (plus they're not "new" like the pods).
Â
Percent of people using pods is going to be way lower. They're fairly new and expensive per wash load. If I had to guess, I wouldn't think it would be more than 25% of washers that have those pods instead of liquid/powder. I know they take up a very small section of the shelf at the store.
I wonder if Roxy's mom gets no-tear shampoo for her because even the mildest regular shampoo (soap) will burn her eyes.
I'd imagine that many people treat these pods the same way they do laundry soap and such - it sits on top of the dryer for easy access. It seems like these pods - both for the washing machine and dishwasher - must have something in them that the regular detergents don't. I've avoided buying the ones for the washing machine and the ones for the dishwasher are on a high shelf (locks for the cabinets wouldn't work since they're crappy old apartment ones that like to pop off the hinges).
@Jenni S. It's either a very concentrated surfactant (soap) or it may contain lye, which has been a main ingrediant in soap making for centuries. Originally soap was animal fat and lye. Sheep fat was preferred as it contains lanoline. I hope there is no permanent harm to the children for they didn't know better. Kudo's for taking the steps you needed to for your kids safety.
 @MickRoh  @Jenni I just know I've splattered liquid detergent on my face, gotten dishwasher soap in my mouth, etc. and not had the problems that we've been seeing with these pod-type ones. I think the biggest issue I ever had was a little stinging in my eyes (like with any soap) and a bit of an upset tummy (dropped a bottle once and it sprayed everywhere, including into my mouth). But the symptoms that have been described all over the U.S. have been significantly worse, which is what makes me wonder how different those pods are.Â
 @MickRoh   @Jenni I presume; I've used commercial versions decades ago (17, employed as a coughCeramic Engineercough (dishwasher)), and that's how they got them so small.  I've worked with laundry detergents that didn't turn really harmful until they got wet as well; spilled on your arm and removed quickly, little damage.  Get in your mouth or eye?  Can cause severe damage.
Â
Still, to me it all comes down to "Why would you even leave *any cleaning supply*Â around in a kid's reach?"; my son is 17 and I still keep that stuff up high -- because we have dogs. Â It's just a no-brainer; if you don't do it, you've no brain, IMHO.
@brendan @Jenni S. I did not know they were using enzyme-based surfactants..... That's a whole lot more dangerous than lye when concentrated to levels above 50% pure. Lye may burn from the surface down but enzymes easily penatrate the skin due to the nature of their structure. That is why they would clean so well, is my thinking.....
 @Jenni S.  @MickRoh Most of these modern soaps (like dishwasher) are enzymatic-based, not lye-based iirc. (Much like we can have oxygen or chlorine bleach) and we simply keep concentrating them further and further.
 @Jenni S. ~  I haven't used them... wasn't really even aware of their existence until the story about the little boy who ingested some detergent in one of them...  Possibly the detergent in these pods is a high concentrate???   Or has some kind of disinfectant in it?