Laundry detergent pods keep killing people because they look like candy

Tasty-looking, brightly-colored laundry detergent pods are killing people who mistake the toxic, clear packets for candy, NBC News reports. Two children and six adults with cognitive impairments, such as dementia, have died in the past five years after eating the pods, which are meant to be used instead of traditional liquid clothing detergent.

Advocates are urging manufacturers to redesign the packets so they look less like candies. The American Cleaning Institute has been asking laundry pod companies to include childproof latches on packages, sell the detergent in opaque pods, and use a bitter coat on the outside of the pod to discourage anyone from putting it in their mouth.

"Family members caring for anyone who is cognitively impaired [should] not keep pods in the home," added James Dickerson, the chief scientific officer at Consumer Reports.

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