Study: Laundry Pods Pose Poisoning Threat To U.S. Children

It's a scary situation no parent wants to see -- their child accidentally swallowing a household object. Many kids are rushed to the ER after swallowing what many of us have in our laundry room.

A new report released Monday morning is eye-opening when it comes to those popular laundry pods. Accidental poisonings from squishy laundry detergent packets have landed more than 700 U.S. children in the hospital in just two years.

The single-use packets sent an average of one child a day to hospitals in 2012 and 2013, according to a study of a poison center data for 2012 to 2013. Coma and seizures were among the most serious complications.

There were more than 17,000 poison center calls about the products in those years involving children younger than 6. Most weren't seriously harmed. But one child died last year and researchers say the risks highlight a need for even safer packaging, saying kids think it's candy.

Some manufacturers already have revised packaging and labels.

The products contain concentrated liquid laundry soap and seem to cause more severe problems than regular detergent. Experts say the products should be stored out of reach and sight of children.

The lead researchers on this project takes the warning a step further, and says parents with kids younger than four years old should only use tradition laundry detergent.