Proctor & Gamble, the nation’s biggest laundry detergent seller, recalled 8.2 million Tide Pods, Gain Flings, Ace Pods and Ariel Pods flexible bags Friday morning.
“The outer packaging meant to prevent access to the contents can split open near the zipper track, posing a risk of serious injury to children and other vulnerable populations if the contents of the laundry detergent packets are ingested, as well as posing a risk of skin or eye injuries,” the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall announcement said. “Ingestion of a large quantity of any surfactant-containing household cleaning products can cause death among individuals with underlying health issues.”
Proctor & Gamble doesn’t know of any injuries from the problem. It knows about four U.S. children who got to the laundry packs, “three of which reported ingestion during the time period that the recalled lots were sold, but it is not known if these laundry packets came from recalled bags.”
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This covers 12-count to 39-count bags of the following:
▪ Gain Flings (Original, Moonlight Breeze, Blissful Breeze, Spring Daydream, Plus Ultra Oxi, Plus Odor Defense)
▪ Tide Pods (Original, Light, Spring Meadow, Clean Breeze, Free & Gentle, Oxi, Ultra Oxi, Plus Oxi Boost)
▪ Ace Pods (Clean Breeze, Spring Meadow)
▪ Ariel Pods Alpine Breeze
P&G is offering refunds, replacements or a cabinet lock to put on your laundry detergent storage area. Though the recall notice says this applies only to U.S.-distributed products, the recall part of P&G’s website also includes spots for Tide and Gain Canadian consumers.
Unlike most companies making massive product recalls, P&G is making the customer go through some effort to find out if their detergent is included in the recall. Consumers must fill out a form on the company website with the product barcode and upload a photo of the product lot code (on the bottom of the package) “to validate your product is part of the specific lot codes impacted.”
For questions on this recall, reach out to Procter & Gamble on its website or call 833-347-5764, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Eastern time, or 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time on Saturdays.