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Utah State University Student Swallows Tide Pod, Rushed To Hospital

January 23, 2018

  • A student at Utah State University was taken from her dorm on a stretcher after eating a Tide pod. Already in 2018, there have been over 40 cases of teenagers getting sick from ingesting Tide pods. Tide pods contain chemicals that break down grease on your clothes, but if you ingest them they’ll destroy your cell walls and cause chemical burns to your organs. Though this has not been confirmed, someone on Twitter said the USU student may been intent on self-harm, and not necessarily taking the “Tide Pod Challenge.” Many articles initially connecting this story to the Tide Pod Challenge have been removed. Fox’s local news affiliate from Salt Lake City wrote — “Fox 13 News has removed this article at the request of Utah State University. This incident was not in any way connected to a larger trend involving Tide Pods.” Of course, if this is true, it adds another wrinkle to an already disturbing public health issue. In a statement, USU director of media relations Eric Warren said — “For students and members of our university who are feeling overwhelmed, we have services available. There are people here to talk to you.” The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day. And we think it’s really important that everyone know there are options available if they’re feeling overwhelmed. Even if this story is unrelated to the Tide Pod Challenge, it’s adding fuel to a trend that goes back far earlier than 2017. Teenagers first tried ingesting Tide Pods when they were introduced in 2012, so Tide added denatonium benzoate, thought to be the most bitter taste on Earth, to deter people from eating it. But, with resurgent interest in consuming the detergent pods, Tide is pulling out the big guns, enlisting New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski to make their point.

  • Source: twitter.com / Via: twitter.com

  • Now, just in the last 24 hours, people on Twitter have claimed to see a video of someone snorting the laundry detergent, Gain.

  • Source: twitter.com / Via: twitter.com

  • We looked and couldn’t find any video of people claiming to snort Gain, so we’re working under the assumption for now that this is just something people made up. If for whatever reason you or someone else ingests a Tide pod, here is the number for poison control — 800-222-1222. What should we be doing to stop this disturbing trend? Let us know in the comments. Follow us on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.