Kids Eating Detergent Pods as Candy - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.

Should the new detergent pods be taken off the shelf?

The drop-in laundry pods have been a big hit with consumers since hitting the market in early 2012. The single-dose packets use less packaging and space than your typical boxed or bottled detergent and there is no measuring needed. They are a great invention for simplifying laundry but there's a problem - they look yummy to thousands of toddlers.

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, 2,950 children under the age of 5 have swallowed the colorful packets confusing them for candy. The same problem has been occurring in the United Kingdom with a reported 647 calls last year to their national poisoning hotline.

The symptoms include nausea, vomiting and respiratory problems. Director of the California Poison Control System states, “While pediatric exposure to powdered laundry detergent is not new, the degree of illness associated with these new products appears unique. “

Doctors and control centers are calling for manufacturers to improve packaging and make them child resistant.

What do you think? Should manufacturers be accountable for these cases or are parents to blame?