At least three people were hospitalized after eating laundry pods given out as election freebies by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi’s (侯友宜) Changhua campaign office.
Hung Jung-chang (洪榮章), the head of Hou’s Chuanghua campaign office apologized on Saturday for the incident, saying the office would work on “disseminating information” that the 460,000 laundry pods given out by the campaign were not to be eaten.
Hung told reporters that campaign staffers would visit the three individuals known to have been hospitalized after ingesting the pods.
Photo: CNA
He added that there were no further plans to give out laundry pods.
There are portraits of Hou and his vice presidential running mate, Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), on the laundry pod packaging, as well as instructions for use, including a line reading: “One pod can be used to wash up to 8kg of clothes.”
One of those known to have ingested the pods told local media that she mistakenly thought they were candy.
An 80-year-old man and an 86-year-old woman, both surnamed Hung (洪), were sent to Erlin Christian Hospital on Friday after eating the laundry balls, and both were discharged after undergoing gastric lavage, the hospital said.
As of 8pm on Saturday, at least three people were confirmed to have been hospitalized after eating the laundry pods, Hou’s Changhua campaign office said.
Su Ming-yao (蘇銘堯), an attending physician at New Taipei Municipal Tucheng Hospital’s Department of Gastroenterology, said laundry pods contain a surfactant that causes heat to be released once it enters the stomach.
Individuals ingesting the laundry pods might experience an upset stomach and a burning sensation, as well as burping, Su said.
They might also cough up blood if the chemicals inside the pods burn their stomach lining, he added.
People should seek medical advice immediately if they ingest laundry pods, Su said.
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