KENSINGTON, P.E.I. — A P.E.I. police force is taking a light-hearted approach to a strange and dangerous online trend.
An officer with Kensington police posted a video on its Facebook page describing the dangers of eating laundry detergent pods.
In the seven-minute video, Const. Robb Hartlen reminds people that a banana and Timbit are safe to eat, but that a Tide pod or Timbit package are not.
Tide Pod Challenge.. Really people? Thanks to Mike's Independent Grocer in Kensington for the Tide Pods!!
Posted by Kensington Police Service on Wednesday, 17 January 2018
Sitting in his police cruiser, Hartlen says people tempted to do the so-called Tide pod challenge should instead bring back other, healthier online trends such as the ALS ice-bucket challenge.
The latest pod challenge involves people biting into the colourful laundry pods, filming their reactions and posting them online — which has resulted more than 40 hospitalizations in Canada and the U.S. so far this year.
Hartlen says if someone sees a person about to eat a pod, they should "feel free to give them an orange" instead.
