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Laundry detergent packets - Canada.ca
2025-04-18T15:45:49.838Z · legacy-hc-2025-04-21
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Laundry detergent packets
Learn how laundry detergent packets can be dangerous to children and to adults with cognitive impairment. Also find information on how to safely store these packets.
On this page
Health risks of laundry detergent packets
Keep children and adults with cognitive impairment safe from laundry detergent packets
What to do if someone has come in contact with laundry detergent packets
For more information
Health risks of laundry detergent packets
Because laundry detergent packets are small and often brightly coloured, children and adults with cognitive impairment can mistake them for food or toys. This can lead to a child or an adult with cognitive impairment swallowing the laundry detergent packet, which can cause:
nausea and vomiting
coughing and choking
breathing troubles
stomach pain
A laundry detergent packet can also burst in hands with only a small amount of pressure. The packet's membrane can also dissolve quickly with moisture. Contact with the contents of a laundry detergent packet can cause:
rashes
skin irritation
eye irritation
Similar products, like dishwasher detergent packets, could pose the same risks.
Keep children and adults with cognitive impairment safe from laundry detergent packets
You can help prevent a serious injury involving laundry detergent packets by:
keeping them safely stored out of sight and reach of children and adults with cognitive impairment
reading the label and following instructions before use
handling them carefully and using them with dry hands
What to do if someone has come in contact with laundry detergent packets
If you think someone has been harmed by contact with a laundry detergent packet, immediately call:
911
a
Poison Control Centre
You can find phone numbers for the Poison Control Centre nearest you:
at the front of your local telephone book
by searching the Internet for a Poison Control Centre by province or territory
For more information
Is Your Child Safe?
Healthy home guide
Tips to protect your family from chemicals and pollutants
Page details
Date modified:
2023-01-24