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Procter & Gamble<\/a>\u00a0is recalling more than 8 million bags of Tide, Gain, Ace and Ariel laundry detergent packets sold in the U.S. and Canada due to a defect in the products\u2019 child-resistant packaging.<\/p>\n According to Friday notices from both P&G and product-safety regulators in the U.S. and Canada, the outer packaging meant to prevent easy access to the liquid laundry detergent pods can split open near the zipper track, posing serious risks to children and others who may ingest them, in addition to possible skin or eye injuries.<\/p>\n So far, there have been no confirmed injuries directly tied to the defect. During the time period that the recalled lots were sold, there were four reports of children accessing the laundry packets in the U.S., including three ingestion cases \u2014 but whether these pods actually came from the recalled bags is still unknown, P&G and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.<\/p>\n The recall impacts select batches of Tide, Gain, Ace and Ariel laundry detergents that were manufactured between September 2023 and February 2024 and sold at major retailers including Walmart<\/a>, Target<\/a>, CVS and Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n The recalled products, which can be\u00a0identified by lot code<\/a>, vary in scent and size. About 8.2 million were\u00a0sold in the U.S.<\/a>\u00a0and more than 56,700 were\u00a0sold in Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n Consumers in possession of the now-recalled bags are instructed to keep the products out of the reach and sight of children and contact Cincinnati-based P&G for a full refund and replacement child-resistant bag to store the detergent, which itself remains safe to use for laundry purposes.<\/p>\n Health risks tied to the\u00a0ingestion of liquid laundry detergent<\/a>\u00a0has been well-documented \u2014 notably in light of the social media-fueled\u00a0\u201cTide Pod challenge\u201d<\/a>\u00a0that skyrocketed several years ago. Eating the detergents\u2019 chemicals can cause vomiting, diarrhea, liver and kidney damage, and even death.<\/p>\n Beyond<\/a> online trends, experts warn that children are especially vulnerable to accidentally ingesting liquid laundry packets, as they may confuse the products with candy \u2014 urging consumers to always store them safely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSubscribe to the new Fortune CEO Weekly Europe newsletter to get corner office insights on the biggest business stories in Europe. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n