'Tide Pod challenge': the internet joke that's become a dangerous craze

The concept of "washing your mouth out with soap" may have originated with exasperated parents, but it appears some teens on social media are taking the idea to a whole new, actually dangerous, level.

In what's been deemed the first big social media meme of 2018, the "Tide Pod challenge" consists of biting into a capsule of concentrated laundry detergent in a bid to impress followers. However, health authorities are not so impressed.

The bright colours and fruity fragrance of Tide Pods can lead children to mistake them for candy. Credit: Jenny Noyes

A Tide Pod is a popular US brand of detergent capsule, encased in soluble wrapping. It's been compared to candy (and probably often mistaken for it by young children) due to its bright colours and fruity fragrance.

But it is absolutely not edible and, possibly due to the concentration of chemicals, is more dangerous to consume than regular soap (which should also not be ingested).

"Swallowing or biting into laundry detergent capsules can be incredibly dangerous and potentially life-threatening. The liquid inside is poisonous and should not be consumed," said Jared Brown, Department Head of the NSW Poisons Information Centre.

While most of the memes poke fun at the idea that anyone would want to eat a Tide Pod, it would appear that enough people are really doing it for Facebook and YouTube to crack down on users posting "challenge" videos. On Saturday, a Utah State University student was reportedly rushed to hospital after eating one of the pods.

US authorities have issued warnings on the health risks, which include excessive vomiting, difficulty breathing, and in rare cases even death.

The American Association of Poison Control Centres issued an alert last week stating the trend was causing "significant concern" with an apparent spike in exposure among teens and young adults from deliberately ingesting the capsules.

In the first 15 days of this year, 39 13- to 19-year-olds reported being poisoned from deliberately ingesting the laundry capsules, according to the AAPCC's data. That is the same number as was recorded over the whole of 2016.

The detergent brand itself has also tweeted a video of US footballer Rob Gronkowski (nicknamed "Gronk") to stop eating the pods.

For now, though, it seems the biggest risk is to young children and adults with dementia or other cognitive impairment, who may ingest the capsules by accident.

In the US last year, more that 12,000 people called poison control centres to report exposure to concentrated laundry detergents. But the vast majority of those affected were children under five, the AAPCC said.

Since the pods first went on the market in the US in 2012, two children and six adults have died from eating them. The adults all had cognitive impairment, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

In Australia, cleaning products and detergents are the biggest causes of poisoning in young children, according to a 2016 ACCC report based on Poisons Information Centre data.

There are a number of products similar to the Tide Pod on the market in Australia, and the ACCC has previously issued warnings to parents about the danger of children mistaking them for lollies.

The watchdog says it is aware of the "dangerous challenge" now popular online, but a spokesperson told Fairfax Media most recent complaints about exposure to laundry capsules relate to children under five.

What to do in case of exposure:

• If the capsule/packet is put in the mouth, rinse the mouth and face thoroughly.
• Do not induce vomiting.
• If a child has capsule liquid close to eyes or on hands, rinse carefully with plenty of water.
• Call the Poison Information Centre on 13 11 26 for advice or go to an emergency department.