CREDIT: KA2SHKA (THINKSTOCK)
Tide pods are made for laundry use and are not to be used for challenges nor consuming.

Disclaimer: The Tide pod challenge is obviously a dangerous thing to do and it should be made clear that this article in no way condones using laundry detergent for anything other than its intended purpose, laundry.

The Tide pod challenge is the latest Internet trend where a person records themselves biting into a detergent pod and having the contents burst from their mouth.

The majority of the internet dismisses this fad as idiocrasy and has turned the hazardous craze into a plethora of joke memes.

Tide pods were first released in 2012 as single use laundry pods, which contained detergent within a dissolvable plastic film. The colourful look can make them appealing to children, with many mistaking them for candy.

Last year, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reported the exposure of about ten thousand children under five, and approximately 200 teenagers; allegedly 25 per cent of which were intentional. And already this year there have been 37 reported cases in the United States, half of which were purportedly intentional. Health Canada warns that eating or coming into contact with the chemicals inside of the detergent packs can cause various negative effects such as:

• Stomach aches and vomiting
• Problems breathing
• Choking and coughing
• Irritated skin and eyes
• Rashes

Tide has used warning labels to caution people to keep their products away from children, as well developing a container with a child guard. In 2015, Tide pod manufacturer Proctor and Gamble announced that it would add a bitter taste to the pods to stop people from eating them.

Some people have gone as far as to suggest the packets should also be less colorful and attractive to children; but that still won't help if people keep ingesting them intentionally. Heeding warnings from both U.S. and Canadian authorities, some stores have elected to lock up the product, requiring customers to ask for employee assistance.

Kyle Gilas, a student in Fanshawe's Motive Power Technician (Diesel) program, shared his thoughts on this in a comment on a Fanshawe group Facebook post.

“As somebody who actually uses these things for their intended purpose [...] I find it incredibly frustrating that some stores have had to start locking these things up [...] We are now living in a society where people are so stupid that we have to control access to laundry detergent!”

The Tide Company had come forward with a tweet on Jan. 12. “What should Tide pods be used for? Doing laundry. Nothing else,” the tweet said.

New England Patriot tight end Rob Gronkowski was even pulled into the Twitter post for a typeof public service announcement that starts off with him repeatedly saying , “No, no, no,” to questions about eating Tide pods.

“What the heck is going on people? Use Tide pods for washing, not eating,” Gronkowski said in the 20 second video.

The Social Lab Community, a local group of dedicated social media entrepreneurs who create YouTube videos in London, exchanged memes in a Facebook post about the Tide pod challenge. One meme had a man running into a room to devour a bowl of the pods, and another with a can of Ajax reading: “Are you guys still doing Tide pods? That's cute…”

Other memes the internet has produced include Tide pod Hot Pockets with a label reading “the forbidden fruit”, another features famous television chef Gordon Ramsey sitting down to a plate of Tide pods, as well as memes of Tide Pod flavored Oreos and cereal.

Fanshawe recreation and leisure studies student Luke Zamora met with the Interrobang to speak out against the trend.

“[It's an] unnecessary and childish craze. The fact that people are making jokes about it and internet memes is perpetuating it. What are people thinking? Other than to damage your body and look like an idiot; it's ridiculous,” Zamora said.

The truth is that you'll hear more people talking about it than actually seeing people trying it. YouTube and Facebook have both been proactive in taking down videos of people eating Tide pods. Now, videos labelled “Tide pod challenge”, only shows people pretending to do the challenge before stopping short to admonish the fact the challenge is trending at all.

If you or someone you know ingests detergent immediately call 911.

Ontario Poison Control Centre 1-800-268-9017.