Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of the necessity to always keep liquid laundry detergent capsules away from children. This is a serious issue. Members may have read in the newspapers in the past fortnight of the quick reaction of a young mother from Dunleer in County Louth in taking her young child, who had access to laundry detergent and nearly died, to hospital. The mother took her child to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and, thankfully, the child recovered. Liquid laundry deterrent capsules are products to help people use just the right amount of detergent for their washing needs. While they are safe when used as intended and as outlined on the product package, I advocate storing them in a safe place, out of the reach from children. The manufacturers state that on their packaging.More than that is needed. I wonder how many householders read what is printed on packages. There must be some other way of identifying the danger involved. I suggest a notice be placed on the washing machine or permanently on a wall in the room where clothes are washed. I call for the introduction of an educational programme to raise awareness among the hundreds of thousands who use laundry detergent capsules on a daily basis, particularly where small children can access them. We must do something about the problem through an educational programme or whatever else.