Vancouver toddler may lose vision after laundry pod accident - KPTV - FOX 12
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At best they look like toys, and at worst candy.
Poison control centers are warning parents about laundry "pods" – small packets of highly potent detergent that make doing laundry easier but could sicken a child.
Friday, a Vancouver toddler was recovering after a one of the pods exploded in his face. His mother, Catherine Valach, says she turned around for one moment and her son, Cartyr Jones, grabbed a Purex Ultra-Pack and squeezed.
"I turned around and he was standing there, covered from his hair all the way down in Purex," Valach said.
Valarch said he was covered in blue as she wiped his face and rushed him to a Vancouver emergency room.
"They kept him for five hours and never once looked at his eyes," Valach said. "They never flushed his eyes and he fell asleep while he was there.
She said Cartyr kept his eyes closed for the next six days until an eye specialist flushed the remaining detergent and uncovered significant damage. The 21-month-old had 20 percent chemical burns in his right eye and 80 percent in his left.
"It was horrible," Valarch said. "We have been to the eye doctor every day to every other day since then."
Oregon Poison Center toxicologist, Shana Kusin, M.D., said she's seen toddlers come into the emergency room at Doernbecher's after they've mistaken the pods for toys. The pods may be more dangerous than regular detergent because they are highly concentrated.
Dr. Kusin advises parents to call the poison control center immediately if their child has an accident and ingests the liquid or gets it in their eyes. She said it is especially important to bring the product packaging with you to the emergency room so doctors can look at the ingredient list.
Copyright 2012 KPTV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
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