(SIOUX CITY, Iowa) Teens have been daring each other on social media, to bite into laundry detergent pods. Ever since this so-called challenge started gaining steam, The Iowa Poison Control Center, based in Sioux City, started getting phone calls, about teens suffering from excessive vomiting, diarrhea, and burns in the mouth, throat and stomach. She says ingesting the pods can also cause breathing problems.
Tammy Noble of the Iowa Poison Control Center says since the pods went on the market in 2012, poison control centers began getting calls, about toddlers and even senior citizens mistaking the pods for candy. She says the pods contain highly concentrated amounts of detergent, and even a small amount can make people sick.
"This isn't a joke, the complications are real and the risk is just not worth taking," said Noble.
Noble says they've been getting phone calls every day about teens and even some adults who took the dare and have gotten sick.
Iowa Poison Control Hotline: 1-800-222-1222