CINCINNATI, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)— Procter & Gamble (P&G), the multinational consumer goods corporation, announced a recall of more than 8 million bags of Tide, Gain, Ace, and Ariel laundry detergent packets sold in the U.S. and Canada. The recall is due to a defect in the products’ child-resistant packaging.
According to notices from both P&G and product-safety regulators in the U.S. and Canada on Friday, the outer packaging designed to prevent easy access to the liquid laundry detergent pods can split open near the zipper track. This defect poses serious risks to children and others who may ingest them, in addition to potential skin or eye injuries.
To date, no confirmed injuries are directly tied to the defect. However, during the time period that the recalled lots were sold, there were four reports of children accessing the laundry packets in the U.S., including three ingestion cases. Whether these pods actually came from the recalled bags is still under investigation by P&G and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The recall affects select batches of Tide, Gain, Ace, and Ariel laundry detergents that were manufactured between September 2023 and February 2024. These products were sold at major retailers, including Walmart, Target, CVS, and Amazon.
The recalled products, identifiable by lot code, vary in scent and size. Approximately 8.2 million were sold in the U.S., and over 56,700 were sold in Canada.
Consumers in possession of the now-recalled bags are instructed to keep the products out of the reach and sight of children and contact Cincinnati-based P&G for a full refund. The company will also provide a replacement child-resistant bag to store the detergent, which remains safe to use for laundry purposes.
Health risks associated with ingesting liquid laundry detergent have been well-documented, notably in light of the social media-fueled “Tide Pod challenge” that gained popularity several years ago. Consumption of the detergents’ chemicals can cause vomiting, diarrhea, liver and kidney damage, and even death.
Experts warn that children are especially vulnerable to accidentally ingesting liquid laundry packets, as they may confuse the products with candy. Consumers are urged to always store them safely.