Washing machine capsule horror as ANOTHER toddler is seriously injured by biting into detergent one he mistook for a SWEET

• Layla Miles feared 22-month-old son Riley Leach would go blind in one eye
• He bit into pink Vanish Powershot Gel Cap, causing detergent to squirt in his eye and mouth and drip on to his stomach
• Toddler was hospitalised for four days and put on a drip
• Case is latest example in worrying trend of children putting detergent capsules into their mouths
• National Poisons Information Service recorded almost 650 incidents involving detergent capsules last year
• Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents calls on manufacturers to redesign packaging

A mother feared her toddler could go blind in one eye after he bit into a liquid laundry capsule, causing detergent to squirt in his face.

Layla Miles believes that her 22-month-old son Riley had mistaken the pink Vanish Powershot Gel Cap for a sweet.
It is the latest in a string of cases in which young children have been injured after putting detergent capsules, which are used in dishwashers and washing machines, into their mouths.

Agony: Riley Leach screamed as his right eye swelled shut after he bit into a liquid laundry capsule

The brightly coloured capsules, known as 'liquitabs' cause an immediate chemical burn, resulting in breathing problems as the airway swells.
The consequences can be fatal without medical attention.
One hospital in Scotland has already seen five cases this year, and today the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) called on manufacturers to redesign the packaging of the capsules to deter children from playing with them.
Ms Myles, 30, of Ashford, Kent, described how Riley screamed as his eye swelled shut and the chemicals inside the capsule also got into his mouth and on his stomach.
'I heard him scream,' she told the Sun. 'The chemicals were burning him. I was terrified he wouldn't be able to see properly.'

Riley was kept in hospital for four days and put on a drip.

He is due to go back to hospital today for a check-up, but doctors do not believe that he suffered any internal damage.
Medics will monitor the child's sight every three months.

The scare has prompted Ms Myles to warn other parents of the dangers of leaving liquid laundry capsules where children can find them.

She said: 'I want to warn parents to keep the capsules locked away in a cupboard. We had left ours on the side and somehow Riley managed to climb up.

Injured: Riley is recovering well (left) after he was kept in hospital for four days (right) and put on a drip, but doctors will monitor his sight every three months

'The capsules come in a child-proof plastic box, but Riley still got into it.'
The National Poisons Information Service recorded 647 reports of injury involving detergent capsules last year. Some 850million capsules are sold in the UK each year.
Sheila Merrill, public health adviser at the RoSPA, said: 'The safe storage of all household chemicals and medicines is absolutely crucial so we encourage families to keep items like laundry detergents in a lockable cupboard.

Fear: Layla Miles believes that her 22-month-old son Riley had mistaken the pink Vanish Powershot Gel Cap for a sweet

'In addition to children accidentally squirting detergent in their eyes, doctors have also recently raised awareness of the risk of children ingesting detergent – accidents that have reportedly caused near-fatal injuries. 
'Given the seriousness of some of the injuries already caused, it is perhaps time for the industry to look again at the way these products are packaged.
'So often they are brightly coloured and very tactile – and must be quite attractive to young children, who may mistake them for sweets or toys.' 
Riley's case came to light less than a fortnight after it emerged that five children under the age of two have been admitted to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow this year after possibly thinking they were jelly sweets.
Doctors called for childproof packaging for the products and advised parents to take a child to their nearest A&E unit as soon as possible if it is suspected they have swallowed something poisonous.
Dr Lyndsay Fraser, from the hospital's ear, nose and throat department, said: 'We have known for some time about the risk of eye injuries from kids squeezing these liquitabs until they burst.
'What we have seen more recently is that children are biting into the tablets, presumably because they think they are sweets as they have the same soft texture and bright colouring.
'The alkaline chemicals in the liquitab cause an immediate chemical burn, causing breathing problems as the airway starts to swell rapidly. Getting them to hospital straight away is imperative.
'In most of the cases seen so far, we have had to insert a breathing tube to protect the child's airway from the swelling and help them breathe.
'If these children hadn't reached A&E on time, the airway could close over completely with potentially fatal consequences.'
Once the breathing tube is inserted, children can be on a ventilator for as long as two weeks until the swelling settles.
One child admitted to the hospital required further surgery to repair the damage caused by the capsule.
Dr Fraser said: 'It really is only good fortune that we haven't seen a death resulting from this type of injury.

THE DANGEROUS CHEMICALS
IN YOUR DETERGENT

Butylphenyl methylpropional: A synthetic fragrance that is also used in a number of beauty products. It is considered safe only within recommended use of concentration.
However, it is a skin irritant and there have been tests that found that skin applications at high concentrations in animals caused sperm damage.

Alpha-isomethyl Ionone: Banned by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) from being mixed into fragrance products, such as perfume and cologne, it has been found to irritate the skin and trigger allergic reactions in some people. However, it is still found in detergents and other cosmetics that are not classed as a 'fragrance'.
Linalool, Hexyl cinnamal, Citronellol: Severe allergens that be listed on the label because they are severe allergens. Higher concentrations can even cause central nervous system disruption (thus their use in certain pesticides) and skin, eye and respiratory tract irritation. These chemicals can also trigger asthma attacks.

'It is important parents realise that these liquid capsules are dangerous chemicals and they should be kept locked away so children can't reach them. They must be stored safely at all times, out of reach and sight of young children.
'Wherever possible and, as with all household cleaning products and bleaches, they should be stored in a locked cupboard or in a cupboard that cannot be accessed by children.'
Dr Fraser and his colleagues have published a letter in the medical journal Archives of Diseases in Childhood to alert medics and parents to the danger.
Earlier this month, concerned mother Shannon Hutchison revealed how her seven-month-old daughter spent 10 days in hospital and was treated in intensive care after eating the contents of a tablet.
'Orla was at my sister's house playing with my two-year-old nephew who managed to get hold of one of these liquitabs,' Ms Hutchison said.
'He thought it was a sweetie because it was bright and like a jelly, so he gave it to Orla who bit into it.
'Immediately we realised there was a problem as she was going in and out of consciousness, so phoned an ambulance right away. It was terrifying. I'm just so lucky to still have my little girl.
'Now I make sure that all the liquitabs are locked away and I tell everyone to do the same.
'The boxes they come in really should be child-proof and I hope manufacturers do something about this as I wouldn't want this to happen to any other little girl or boy.'
Philip Malpass, director general of the UK Cleaning Products Industry Association, said that manufacturers were taking steps to make their products safer.
'Companies are introducing child-frustrating closures, there have always been safe-use icons, and where companies have packaged the capsules in clear boxes we are increasingly seeing that those boxes are milky or opaque so children cannot see what is inside,' he added.

'The simplest way to reduce the number of incidents to zero would be for parents to keep the capsules out of the reach of children.'

Warning: Riley was injured after he bit into a pink Vanish Powershot Gel Cap which he had apparently mistaken for a sweet

A spokesman for Reckitt Benckiser, the company which makes Vanish products, said: 'When developing our products we are also always looking for formats which are effective, practical, convenient, but above all safe for consumers.
'The safety and quality of all our Vanish products is always our primary objective.
'This includes clear user instructions on the pack which should always be followed.
'As with all household cleaning products these include clear instructions that products of this type should be stored safely and kept away from small children.
'In the case of Vanish Power Shots this warning is clearly on the lid and the box has been designed to make it difficult for children to open.
'We are unaware of the details of this particular case as we have not heard directly from the family.
'However, we take it very seriously and will urgently look into the case.'