gel caps in hand. Photo: ssuaphoto (Getty).
God, we wish we were kidding when writing headlines like that. I mean, we kind of are, but not where it matters most.
That’s right, people are eating the soapy goo found in Tide PODS, and it’s as horrible of an idea as it sounds (not to mention one that we shouldn’t have to tell you to never, ever to try at home, but we will just to be extra safe).
People Are Eating Tide PODS, And It’s Becoming A Health Concern
The history of ingesting Tide pods is long and storied, with the joke having been around for almost as long as the product has existed. But due the internet’s cyclical nature, it’s making the rounds yet again. Of course, Twitter is ripe with tongue-in-cheek memes and videos on the subject:
forget pineapple, in 2018 we putting tide pods on pizza pic.twitter.com/CM1PIOn64I
— memes (@memeproviderz) December 31, 2017
everyone wants to eat a tide pod so bad… i’m the only one who will actually do it pic.twitter.com/pbtpOJHuOc
— Hailey McEuin (@haileymceu) January 3, 2018
BREAKING: Someone on Tumblr has come up with an edible tide pod recipe pic.twitter.com/opiIZzgDk4
— Ryan Broderick (@broderick) January 9, 2018
Tide x Totino’s S/S 2018 pic.twitter.com/MUKMykPsrw
— original pushbroom (@rebranded) December 29, 2017
tide pods
-satisfying gush
-amazing mouth feel
-pretty colors
-delicious smell pic.twitter.com/EFlFSnScSq— morg munches on tide pods (@fevervinyI) December 28, 2017
Y’all ever just get the urge to eat a tide pod? pic.twitter.com/9vy49VdG7U
— moni (@unIatched) December 31, 2017
As it turns out, this notion of downing whatever chemicals are inside of Tide pods making a resurgence actually has health officials worried. They’re so concerned, in fact, that health officials had to issue official warnings on the matter. Banner Health toxicologist Dr. Frank LoVecchio warns that as the memes evolve into potential challenges involving folks actually biting into these clearly harmful laundry detergent capsules, hazards exist beyond the obvious:
The membrane around it, when it dissolves, can cause central nervous system depression, causing you to become sleepy or fatigued.
Procter and Gamble, the maker of Tide products, doubled down with the following statement:
We have seen no indication of an increase of cases seeking medical treatment amongst infants and teenagers associated with the recent uptick in social media conversation or in consumer calls.”
Our laundry pacs are a highly concentrated detergent meant to clean clothes, and they’re used safely in millions of households every day. They should be only used to clean clothes and kept up, closed and away from children.
And yet, the trend continues to devolve:
h/t NYMag
