A new viral video dare taking over the internet is called the “Tide Pod Challenge.” This challenge consists of people biting into and even digesting Tide brand laundry pods. Kids don’t recognize this challenge until it explained or know what it is instantly but most have heard of it at least once. “Yes, I have heard people are eating Tide Pods as a snack and have turned it into a meme,” Hannah Stone (9) said.

MonoSol is one of the main companies that makes the water-soluble film used on these detergent pods. These pods are surrounded by polyvinylalcohol (PVOH) which is able to dissolve in water. Accord to Ellen Kriz off Freedonia, “The soap in these water soluble pods is heavily concentrated to avoid dissolving the PVOH pack from the inside out.” This plastic compound is exactly why the contents of the pod are immediately released when water is applied from the outside.

This new craze has been happening more then people think. This year it has sent many people to the hospital with poisoning. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) about 85% of the estimated 12,300 exposures to laundry pods occurred in children under the age of five in 2017. Students here in Englewood aren’t seeing this problem,  “No one around here tries to eat Tide Pods because we all know it is dangerous to eat laundry detergent,”Nicholas Eaves (10) said.