New data released through the standards-setting body ASTM International show a substantial decline in the rate of young children’s exposures associated with liquid laundry packets.
This shows the interventions are working. Progress has been made, yet there is more work to be done.
An ASTM subcommittee, which met June 12 in Washington, D.C., reviewed data collected from 2017.
The December 2015 publication of ASTM's liquid laundry packets voluntary safety standard contains a strong set of package and product design interventions and labeling changes that are intended to reduce accidental exposure to liquid laundry packets. We are encouraged to see the actions manufacturers took to put those interventions in place have led to this decline and helped keep young children safe.
While liquid laundry packet sales have more than doubled since July 2012, the data show an overall 53% decrease in the rate of exposures among children under 6 years old. We’ve also witnessed a significant decrease of approximately 86% in the rate of severe accidents among children in that same age bracket.1
ACI and our detergent manufacturer members are proud to be a part of collaborative process among various interested parties working to keep children safe. ASTM productively convened regulators, industry leaders, and non-governmental organizations with the common goal of reducing accidents with liquid laundry packets among young children.
We are pleased to see all of the data results – by population, by sales and by absolute numbers presented in a transparent and thorough fashion as agreed upon by all ASTM liquid laundry packet subcommittee participants. We believe these trends reflect the significant safety improvements to the product packaging, design and labeling, as well as consumer education efforts made by manufacturers and other stakeholders.
ACI's Packets Up! Campaign (www.packetsup.org) continually educates and motivates parents and caregivers to keep children safe through proper handling and storage of liquid laundry packets. The campaign signifies the unwavering commitment by manufacturers of liquid laundry packets to help consumers create healthy and effective laundry habits, while ensuring a safe home environment for their families.
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The American Cleaning Institute® (ACI – www.cleaninginstitute.org) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $30 billion U.S. cleaning products market. ACI members include the formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and oleochemical producers. ACI (www.cleaninginstitute.org) and its members are dedicated to improving health and the quality of life through sustainable cleaning products and practices.
1Source: Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Center Evaluation of Liquid Laundry Detergent Packet Exposures, DRAFT, June 2018