A paramedic has shared shocking footage of why dishwasher tablets should always be kept out of reach of children.
In a bid to raise awareness, paramedic Nikki (also known as @tinyheartseducation) on Instagram, shared a video of exactly what happens if a dishwasher tablet is swallowed.
You can watch the video below:
In the video, Nikki explains why dishwasher tablets should always be kept in a locked cupboard.
Advert
"If this doesn't illustrate the danger of dishwashing tablets, then I don't know what will," she captioned the clip.
"Please store them safely; well out of sight and reach in a locked cupboard ."
The video shows Nikki taking a piece of ham before placing a dishwasher tablet on top.
A few hours later and the ham can be seen bubbling as the chemicals rapidly begin to burn through the meat. Nikki explains: "If your LO mistakes a dishwashing tablet as a lolly it can burn the skin fast."
Other parents were quick to comment on the video, thanking Nikki for spreading awareness. One person wrote: "Yes I've been wondering whyyyyy do they make them look like shiny yummy bright colourful lollies?!!! Shame on the manufacturers!! Thanks for the amazing tips as always!"
Advert
While another added: "So scary, shared! So glad I make my own non-toxic ones but I seriously had no idea before!"
"I'm pretty chill, but dishwasher tabs and button batteries? They scare me!" Commented one parent.
Last year, we told you the horrifying effects that a button battery can have on a little one's insides.
Sarah Hunstead, founder of the website CPR Kids, shared a time-lapse experiment that showed what a lithium button battery can do to chicken fillets.
Advert
Speaking to Kidspot, Sarah said: "I was inspired to do this particular experiment after a trip to the supermarket with my oldest daughter".
"We were walking down the baby products aisle - she stopped and picked up a small object off the shelf where the baby toys were - my daughter said 'MUM! LOOK! a button battery! That is so dangerous!"
The incident prompted Sarah to conduct an experiment, revealing just what a battery can do when swallowed. To show the corrosive effects, she placed a battery inside a chicken fillet for a total of four hours and kept an eye on the damage done during that period. And the results were truly horrifying.
According to The Battery Controlled, when a coin-sized lithium button battery gets stuck in a child's throat, the saliva triggers an electrical current. This then causes a chemical reaction that can severely burn the oesophagus in as little as two hours. You can read more about it here.
Featured Image Credit: Flickr