ATLANTA — Don’t do the Tide Pod Challenge. Seriously.
That’s the message poison control officials are urging people after a bizarre trend spread like wildfire online.
The challenge involves people popping the small laundry detergent packs in their mouths and posting videos of themselves chewing and gagging on the oozing product online.
Dozens of people have been taken to the hospital after doing the challenge.
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Dr. Gaylord Lopez, the director of Georgia's Poison Control Center, confirmed to Channel 2 Action News, they've handled one case involving a teen.
“This year we had a call about a 13-year-old. In fact, it was the mother who called us because the kid was getting sick and vomiting,” Lopez said.
While there's only been one confirmed “Tide Pod Challenge” case in the state, Lopez said this is a good reminder about the dangers of detergent pods in general.
There are still hundreds of children under the age of 5 getting sick from them.
“When you’ve got a young child picking up a packet, like I have in my hand, thinking it might be candy or food, you could see why kids are attracted to them,” Lopez said.
Lopez also wants parents to be aware of the latest social media craze.
“Parents need to know that if their young teens are getting into them, they can easily have problems ranging from just mild upset of the stomach to this stuff getting into their lungs and causing far more problems,” Lopez said.
This week, YouTube and Facebook announced they are removing “Tide Pod Challenge” videos from their sites.