by Mindy Calandro | Nov 10, 2014 | In The News, Kid's Health, The Safety Files
A new and more convenient way to wash clothes…well that would grab the attention of any busy parent. Laundry “pods” as they are called are small, square products that can simply be dropped into the washing machine…no measuring of detergent required. However, buyer and parents beware, especially if you have young children in the home. A study that will be published in the December issue of Pediatrics found that there have been over 17,000 children under 6 years of age that have had harmful exposures to laundry detergent pods between 2012-2013. That equates to one child per hour between 2012-2013! Almost ¾ of these exposures occurred in children younger than 3 years of age, and the most common method of exposure was through ingestion. Many of the children exposed were cared for at home, but 35% of children required hospital evaluation and treatment, and unfortunately, there was one death. It is not hard to see why these nifty, convenient little pods would be so enticing to young children. With bright colors like green, orange, and blue, they can easily look like candy or toys to little eyes. Also, many of these pods come packaged in containers with a simple flip top lid that even a toddler could easily open. If these pods are put into the mouth, the coating of the pod can easily be punctured by teeth or even dissolve with saliva in the mouth. When that occurs the detergent can be ingested, inhaled or get onto the skin or into the eyes and cause major problems. Safety advocate groups here in the US...
by Mindy Calandro | Oct 7, 2014 | In The News, The Safety Files
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are battery powered devices that heat a cartridge containing liquid nicotine to produce a nicotine vapor. These devices have been available in the US since 2007 and are now a multibillion dollar industry. Many companies market flavored nicotine liquids for e. cigs such as bubble gum, cotton candy and grape which certainly seems to be aiming at a younger crowd. One of the biggest issues with e-cigs are what we don’t know about them. We have no idea the long term effects of smoking vaporized nicotine on both those who smoke the devices as well as the secondhand effects. The e-cig industry is not regulated by anyone at this time which presents two major problems. First, without regulation there are no quality standards for the companies who produce the nicotine liquid vials. Therefore, there is no way to really know the composition of the liquids being sold. Several studies have shown that even those products claiming to be nicotine free, actually contain nicotine as well as other carcinogens such as formaldehyde. The second issue with regards to a lack of regulation is that e-cig devices can legally be sold to those under 18 years of age as well as in vending machines and online, and free samples can be distributed to anyone interested. In late April, the FDA proposed a ban on the sale of these devices to minors, and luckily, 28 states have already imposed age restrictions on the sale of the devices. Here in Louisiana, the house has approved a ban on the sale of e-cigs to children under 18, and there is...
