Procter & Gamble recalls millions of defective detergent pods in US amid widespread risk of toxic exposure

09 Apr 2024 --- Procter & Gamble (P&G) has voluntarily recalled its Tide Pods, Gain Flings, Ace Pods and Ariel Pods liquid laundry detergent packets throughout the US. All products are packaged in flexible film bags, but the risk of damage means consumers are at constant risk of toxic exposure to detergent materials.

The company says 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 packets are ingested. Skin or eye injuries are also a risk of contact. 

Ingestion of a large quantity of any surfactant-containing household cleaning products can also cause death among individuals with underlying health issues, according to P&G. 

Refunds and replacements 
P&G says consumers should immediately secure the recalled bags out of sight and reach of children and contact the company for a full refund and a free replacement child-resistant bag to store the product. Consumers are also offered cabinet locks to secure laundry materials.

Consumers are warned to check if their bags are part of the recall by checking the lot code on their bags. Recalled lot codes will be listed at www.pg.com/bags and can be found on the bottom of the bag package. 

Consumers with recalled bags can also submit a photo of the recalled product, showing the lot code, to participate in the recall.

This recall involves roughly 8.2 million units sold in the US and 56,741 in Canada of certain lot codes of liquid laundry detergent packets manufactured between September 2023 and February 2024. 

Recalled products range from bags with 12 to 39 laundry detergent packets. 

While there are no confirmed incidents or injuries directly relating to this packaging defect, P&G received four reports of children in the US accessing the liquid laundry packets — three of which reported ingestion when the recalled lots were sold. However, it is not known if these laundry packets came from recalled bags.

Affected packages were sold at Big Lots, CVS, Family Dollar, Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Target, Walmart and other major US stores, as well as online at Amazon.com and other websites from September 2023 through present for between US$5 (one 12 ct. bag) and US$30 (four 39 ct. bags in a box).

Edited by Louis Gore-Langton