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GREENSBORO — What lies beneath the sink has always been considered a danger zone for children.

One of the newest dangers that is concerning parents comes in the form of small, brightly colored detergent pods. Recently, thousands of children have gotten sick from swallowing them.

"Well if they look like candy that might have something to do with it," said laundromat customer Thomasina Barnes.
 
Experts agree that the appearance can present a danger.
 
"They almost look like those peppermint swirl candies that you can find in a candy store," said Anna Dulaney of the Carolinas Poison Center.
 
Experts said many of the pod products came out at the beginning of 2012 and in the past year there have been 118 reported cases in North Carolina and nearly 3,000 nationwide.
 
"[Symptoms are] coughing, choking, followed by vomiting very quickly. Then we have children that get drowsy afterward, which is something we normally don't expect with regular laundry detergent. Extreme respiratory difficulty to the point they need to have oxygen, or in a worse case scenario, be placed on a ventilator," said Dulaney.

Experts can not explain why the detergent pods are more dangerous than regular detergent, but one of the features of the packaging is that as soon as they get wet the plastic dissolves.

"If you're trying to get your child to help you with the laundry, having them handle the pods is not really a good idea because the liquid from the film may dissolve on wet sticky hands," said Dulaney.

As for now, experts said some manufacturers are looking into changing their containers and lids, but add that it is always best to keep the products up high and out of reach of small children and pets.