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The “Dirt” on the Safety of Detergent Packets:

December 9, 2021

 

As parents and grandparents of young children, we should always make ourselves aware of new potential hazards that we bring into our homes. Some of us may even have called the local poison control center with various concerns over some items (1-800-222-1222).

Several studies have been published that compared child exposures to laundry and dishwashing soaps and to packets of either one. It has been shown that twice as many children are exposed to these soap packets than the regular laundry and dishwasher soaps and the children exposed to the soap packets experienced more severe health effects. The data used for these studies were extracted in part from the National Poison Data System (NPDS) for reported exposures for children under 6 years old from 2013 through 2014.

The information on the safety of these laundry and dishwasher soap packets has prompted many companies that manufacture these products to change the packaging to make them less attractive to young children. For example, a bitter taste has been added to the outer part of the packet to deter children from keeping the packets in their mouths. Additional features have been added, such as containers with child-proof lids. As always, warning and product labels should be read and followed by parents and caregivers of children.

So, where are your laundry detergents kept? Are they out of reach? Are you confident they can’t be accessed by an enterprising child with a talent for climbing? 

Please make sure these dishwasher and laundry detergents, and all of your cleaning supplies, such as floor cleaners, disinfectants, and hand sanitizers, are stored in a secure place out of the reach children.

The experts at poison control centers also urge parents and caregivers to:

Always keep cleaning agent containers closed or sealed, and stored out of the reach of children.

Follow the instructions on the product label.

Call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222 immediately if you suspect a child has come in contact with this detergent.

 

For Additional information please see:

American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) fact sheet

Centers for Disease Control MMWR Weekly Report

American Cleaning Institute Clean Living

Proctor & Gambles’ Safe Home

WEEL OEL

Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) are designed to safeguard the health of healthy workers during their careers. These limits are based on the assumption of repeated daily exposure throughout a working lifetime, typically averaged over an 8-hour workday. Their purpose is to prevent both immediate (acute) and long-term (chronic) health issues arising from workplace exposures. It’s important to note that OELs are not intended for the general public, which includes vulnerable groups like infants, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions.

Workplace Environmental Exposure Levels (WEELs) are health-based guidelines for chemical hazards in the workplace. These values represent air concentrations believed to protect the majority of workers from negative health effects resulting from occupational chemical exposure.

The WEEL Process
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The development of new or revision of existing WEELs is typically assigned to voluntarily designated subcommittees. A subcommittee usually comprises 3 – 4 members from the WEEL Committee. New WEELs are developed using the OARS-WEEL administrative standard operating procedure (SOP), while existing WEELs are usually revised every 10 years, unless the availability of significant new data which may impact the existing WEEL value compels the committee to make a revision sooner. The OARS-WEEL SOP contains procedures and guidelines governing conflicts of interest, draft document preparation, literature searches, draft document review, balloting process, post-ballot WEEL documentation quality assurance scientific review, and publication.

Once a subcommittee has prepared a draft WEEL document, a review of the draft is scheduled for the next available Committee meeting. The WEEL Committee members are expected to have reviewed all such drafts prior to the meeting. If no major changes are necessary to a draft, the attending Committee membership may, by a simple majority, approve the WEEL for balloting. Alternatively, the Committee may direct the subcommittee to revise the WEEL and present it for further discussion at a future meeting. If a ballot is not approved by a two-thirds majority of non-abstaining Committee members, it is discussed at the next Committee meeting to determine the appropriate course of action. Once the WEEL is approved by a two-thirds majority of non-abstaining Committee members, copies of ballot comments are forwarded to the designated subcommittee and all substantive comments must be addressed in the final draft. If resolution of a substantive comment results in a change to the WEEL value or a change in the basis for the value, the draft must be re-balloted.

Once all comments have been addressed on a successfully balloted draft, document formatting and editorial review are performed by TERA, before the draft WEEL document is made available for public comment (usually for a period of 30 days but may be extended if the need arises). After the public comment period has elapsed, comments are addressed by the subcommittee responsible for that specific draft, after which the WEEL documentation is submitted to Toxicology and Industrial Health (TIH), a peer-reviewed medical journal that covers research in the fields of occupational health and toxicology, for publication. A thorough review of the galley proof by the scientific content quality coordinator at TERA, and proofreaders and editors at TIH is the penultimate step before eventual publication of the WEEL documentation.

The WEEL Committee

The OARS-WEEL Committee is composed of volunteer experts specializing in the scientific determination of occupational exposure levels. This committee actively seeks a balanced representation of professionals from toxicology and industrial hygiene, drawing upon a diverse range of experience from industry, government, academia, and consulting. Importantly, each member contributes to the Committee based on their individual expertise and not as an official representative of their respective employer, organization, or agency.